The Art of Change
by B of Ericaland
Summary: it's been five months since callie last saw erica hahn, but when she needs help saving a patient, callie realizes the best person to turn to might be the one she was trying to forget. main pairings: callie/arizona, callie/erica
1. Stand

DISCLAIMER: grey's anatomy does not belong to me. credit to abc studios and shonda

A/N: this is primarily a callica fic, but i am not anti-arizona, so she has found her place here as well. reviews appreciated but not required as always.

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_Cause when push comes to shove_

_You taste what you're made of_

_You might bend til you break_

_Cause it's all you can take_

_On your knees you look up_

_Decide you've had enough_

_You get mad, you get strong_

_Wipe your hands, shake it off_

_Then you stand_

_------------------------------------------------------------------------_

She had no idea where she was. She had just woken up to a grey sky outside the dirty window of the greyhound. The scenery out her window was unspecific, giving her no clue as to her location. She pulled her headphones down around her neck and turned to the guy in the seat next to her. He couldn't have been much older than she was, maybe twenty one at the most. His hair was dirty blonde, and he kept his sage green eyes down towards the book he was reading. He seemed friendly enough, so she tapped his shoulder.

When he looked up, she tried her best to appear friendly. "Excuse me, do you happen to know where we're going?"

The young man raised one eyebrow questioningly, obviously wondering how someone could be on a bus and not know where it was headed. Finally, he answered. "Seattle."

She nodded. It wasn't exactly where she wanted to be, but it would do… for now.

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Callie Torres turned over, her body still asleep, with every intention of burying her face deep in blonde curls as she'd done almost every morning this week, only to find the other half of the bed unoccupied. She sat up in bed and stretched. It didn't surprise her that her girlfriend was already up; Arizona was an early riser.

Callie heard the opening and closing of cupboards in the kitchen and smiled. Either that was Yang which meant coffee was already made, or that was Arizona which meant coffee was already made. A win-win situation in Callie's mind; she loved her morning coffee.

She pushed the covers off and got up, padding out of her bedroom. She nearly collided with Yang in front of the bathroom door. Her roommate had her toothbrush sticking out the side of her mouth, her black curls were unkempt, and there were dark circles under her eyes, signaling to Callie that she had just woken up as well and had hence not had her morning caffeine requirement yet.

"She's doing shots of wheatgrass again Torres. The only purpose of a shot glass is to make it appear as if you're controlling your tequila intake. Doesn't she know that? How can she taint it with _healthy_? She has got to go. And here I thought you couldn't do worse than Hahn. Nobody should be that perky! It's just… _wrong_… _evil_." Yang's voice lowered to a whisper as she said the last sentence.

Callie couldn't help but chuckle. She had felt the same way about the blonde haired, blue eyed pediatric surgeon just a few short months ago. She had been wary of Arizona's sunshine-y demeanor. But the past three months had changed her mind completely. She now found Arizona's endless optimism to be exceedingly comforting.

"Calliope, are you awake?"

Yang rolled her eyes at the use of Callie's full name. Arizona was the only person, with the exception of her parents, that she allowed to call her that.

"Coming."

Yang shook her head and glared at Callie with contempt in her eyes. "I see you've joined the dark side Torres."

Callie shrugged, a smile tugging at her lips. "They had cookies."

Yang scoffed and disappeared back into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Even she couldn't find a reasonable argument against Arizona's superior baking skills and her top secret snickerdoodle recipe.

Callie emerged into the kitchen to find Arizona holding a steaming cup of coffee out to her. A huge smile lit her features. "You, are a godsend."

"So that's all I have to do to achieve sainthood, pour coffee? Hmmm, I think I've been trying too hard."

Callie leaned in and kissed the blonde softly, silencing all conversation. She pulled away. "Morning."

Arizona smiled, an action not uncommon to her. "Morning."

Her coffee momentarily forgotten, Callie pressed herself closer to the blonde and captured her lips again. Arizona made no objection, instead bracing herself against the counter.

"Ugh, get a room." Yang trudged in, commandeered Callie's untouched cup of coffee and trudged right back out of the room.

Callie sighed, successfully distracted from her course by the interruption. "Just as well. I got surgery in an hour anyway. "She got the coffee pot and a fresh mug, pouring herself a new cup.

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Callie was surprised at how fast she had taken to being openly affectionate with Arizona at work. With Erica, everything had been moderately hush-hush. Sure, there had been minor touches, footsie under cafeteria tables, and the occasional on-call room rendezvous, but nothing too intense. Erica had believed in the separation of professional and personal, especially when you throw in the I'm-a-woman-as-are-you-a-woman aspect. However, Arizona was out and proud. She had no qualms about holding hands on the way down to lunch or quick kisses as they passed in the hallway. She was a lot more physical than Callie had anticipated she'd be. Not that Callie minded, of course. She actually felt more comfortable with her sexuality when she was able to express it openly, rather than when she had to hide it. It had been scary the first time they'd left the hospital together and Arizona had grabbed her hand and laced their fingers together, much to the shock of the SGH staff. Since then, Callie had become rather accustomed to, and actually enjoyed, their little displays of PDA. She found it to be rather liberating.

So she felt no flicker of shame or embarrassment as they parted ways in front of the surgical board and Arizona gave her a lingering kiss. The second the peds surgeon disappeared around the corner, Mark Sloan materialized next to Callie.

"Where's little Grey?"

Callie had barely seen the couple apart since they went public. She was everywhere he was and the reason Callie refused to hook up with Arizona in the on-call rooms. Not that Arizona would ever agree to it anyway, but even if she would Callie didn't want to walk in on Sloan plugging little Grey.

"She's… around."

"Fight?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Your fault or hers?"

"Mine, according to her."

"What'd you do?"

"I wasn't as enthusiastic as I should have been about the wedding when she was talking about it last night."

Callie nodded. Derek Shepard and Meredith Grey's impending nuptials had been the center of the gossip mill, along with Izzie Steven's cancer, for over two months. Izzie had taken the liberty of becoming their wedding planner via hospital bed. Callie had to admit that she was doing just as good a job as any professional could, even if she couldn't leave her room.

"You're not excited?"

"Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for them and I think getting married is a good step for them. But I just can't help feeling like I'm holding my breath waiting for it to crumble, like it has in the past."

Callie nodded again. She could respect that. Grey and Shepard had a dicey history, a collection of breakups and makeups that were notorious around SGH. "I hope they do make it work. I know what it's like, wanting this fairytale life you've planned to work out and in the end it doesn't."

"I hope so too. I think we all need it to work. All of us, Christina and Owen, me and little Grey, you and Arizona… we need to see that they can make it, so we have hope that we can make it too, that even the damaged ones get happily ever after."

Callie smiled. Mark had truly changed since he began dating Lexie Grey, Meredith's half sister and the brightest intern at SGH. He was no longer the man whore she had used to get her kicks. He was now her best friend, their past a distant memory. He had helped her through the post-Erica crumble. He had held her with no expectations. If this were a year ago she might have fallen in love with him. Now, she just cared for him as if he were her family. She put a hand on his shoulder. She said nothing, her eyes telling him how proud she was of his obvious growth.

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"You look tired." Arizona smiled at the sight of Callie, but concern clouded her eyes. Callie was drooping, beautiful but drooping.

Callie fell into an empty chair on the other side of the desk. She stared at Arizona in silence. It was something she used to do with Erica. Erica had understood that sometimes words could be superfluous. Arizona however, was intimidated by silence.

"Calliope, what's wrong?"

Callie sighed and massaged her temples. "I lost a patient on the table today."

Arizona nodded, understanding covering her face. It was a feeling every surgeon knew well. It was inevitable when you were playing god that some would be lost. And yet, it never hurt any less each time you realized the person before you wasn't going to wake up. "Who?"

"Nathan Haysberry. 28 year old crash victim. 2 ribs punctured his right lung. I was unable to remove the bones before…" Callie was near tears but she dared not spill them.

"Family?"

"Newly wed. His wife is 6 months pregnant with their first… their only… child."

"How'd she take it?"

"She doesn't know yet. She was visiting her parents in Olympia when she got the call. Her parents are driving her here."

Arizona got up, walked around the desk, and held her hand out to Callie. "Come."

Callie took her hand and stood.

"We're going to go down to there and wait for his wife and then you're going to tell her that you fought, but sometimes fights are lost. Then I'm going to take you home, and when you're ready to fall apart, I'll be there to make sure you stay together."

Callie took a deep breath and let Arizona lead her out of her office and down to ruin a woman's life.


	2. I Could Get Used To This

DISCLAIMER: still not mine

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_Cause you wrote my name all across your hand_

_When I freak you understand_

_There is not a thing you miss_

_And I could get used to this_

_I'm feeling it coming over me_

_With you it all comes naturally_

_I've lost the reflex to resist_

_And I could get used to this_

_---------------------------------------------------------_

"So, you have a name?" Mr. Green Eyes raised another questioning eyebrow, this time out of curiosity rather than perceived insanity.

She smiled. He had a comforting way about him. She knew she'd be safe if she told him the truth, but then she remembered what her sister had said as she put her on the first bus out of DC. _Tell no one who you are_. So she decided to give him her middle name just to be cautious. "Elizabeth."

"Jason." He held out a hand and she shook it.

"So why are you going to Seattle, Jason?"

"My aunt lives there. I'm visiting her for a week. What about you?"

"A vacation of sorts." It seemed like a reasonable answer to her until she saw that the perceived insanity look had returned to his face. "What?"

"In Seattle?"

"Yeah, why? What's wrong with Seattle?"

"Nothing. It's just when I think vacation, I think of someplace where it doesn't rain 90% of the time."

"Yeah, well, I wanted to see the birthplace of Starbucks." Her voice was dry, sarcastic.

He chuckled. "Wasn't your dream destination?"

"Not really, no."

"So, where are you from?"

"The east coast."

"Me too."

She looked up in interest. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Where from?"

"Boston."

"Miami." She failed to mention that she'd lived in DC for the past year and a half.

"Miami. Explains the tan."

"Boston. Explains the lack of one."

He chuckled. "Touché."

"So, why Boston? Grew up there?"

"No, school."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty. Why? How old are you?"

"I'll be eighteen in a week." She smiled at the thought.

"Is this a birthday trip?"

"Yeah, pretty much. How far are we from Seattle anyway?"

He checked his watch. "About an hour if the bus is on schedule."

"An hour." She nodded.

"Do you have to be somewhere?"

_Yeah, on the next bus out of town._ "No, just curious."

"Well, if you don't have anywhere to be… you could come to my aunt's for dinner. She's a really good cook."

"A five minute conversation on the bus and your inviting me to meet the family?" She grinned.

"What can I say? I'm afraid if I don't ask you to come to dinner, I'm never gonna see you again."

"Hmmm, dinner." Despite the voice in the back of her head telling her to keep moving, she nodded. "I'd like that."

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Once again Callie's arms sought the embrace of the blonde in her sleep. This time, they found purchase. She wrapped her arm around Arizona's waist and pulled her closer. Arizona shifted in her sleep but didn't wake. Callie let comfort take her and drifted back into unconsciousness.

She woke up sometime later, this time to an empty bed. She heard the shower turn off as she sat up, rubbing her eyes. Two minutes later Arizona emerged from her bathroom wrapped in a towel. When she saw Callie was up, she smiled.

"You're up."

"You're clean. This is disappointing." Callie smirked.

Arizona's eyes twinkled knowingly, easily catching Callie's drift. "But… I'm naked."

Callie smiled. "Excellent point." She crawled to the foot of the bed. There she was met by Arizona in a passionate kiss.

Ringing interrupted their actions just as Callie was moving to pull off Arizona's towel. Both women glanced to the dresser where Arizona's phone was causing the commotion. She reached over and retrieved it.

"Hello?"

A smile crossed her face as the person on the other end spoke. "Hey! Yep. No, that's great. I'll make sure I make enough. Are you guys gonna meet us at the hospital, or… okay, no, that's great. I'll see you then. Tell her that I'm looking forward to it. Okay. Bye."

"Your nephew?"

"Yeah. He's bringing a date to dinner tonight."

"I thought you said he didn't have a girlfriend, that he was focusing on school."

"That's what he told me last time we talked. Who knows? Maybe he found a girl he finds just as irresistible as I find you." Arizona crawled on the bed and wrapped her arms around Callie's neck.

Callie smiled. "Can't argue with that."

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Callie knocked lightly on the open door, causing the lone occupant of the room to look up.

"Callie."

"How are you feeling Izzie?"

"Tired… exhausted, but happy." She gestured to the empty chair next to her bed and Callie slowly took it.

Callie looked around. "Where's Karev?"

"He needed to sleep. I made him go home for a few hours. He's been spending too much time here."

Callie nodded. "How are the wedding plans coming along?"

At this question, Izzie visibly brightened. "I figure it should be outside, on Derek's land overlooking the city. The trailer will have to be moved; it's an eyesore. I was thinking, nothing too fancy, no gazebos or archways. Just wooden fold out chairs, decorated along the aisle with garlands of gold ribbon and burgundy flowers. Mer in white would just be odd, so I'm thinking something cream. The bridemaids will probably be in a maroon." Izzie smiled, snapping back to reality. "It would be easier to work out the details if I wasn't confined to this place. It's mad…"

Callie's pager went off for the first time all day. She checked it.

Izzie smiled. "Go, Callie."

"It can wait. I want to hear…"

"Callie… go."

Callie was about to object but the look Izzie gave her made her think batter of it. She stood to go.

"Callie?"

Callie turned back. "Yeah?"

"I know you only come here because of the guilt you feel. I really like talking to you, but I don't want you here because you feel sorry for me."

Callie could think of no response. She just nodded and left.

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Arizona was making her rounds when she got a page to the ER. Being a surgeon, an attending at that, she knew time was always critical and pages shouldn't be ignored. The ER was crowded, packed to the brim with doctors, nurses, patients, families. Arizona raced into the bustle.

"Dr. Robbins!"

She turned towards the nurse who had shouted her name and nearly collapsed.

"Oh my god."


	3. Untitled

DISCLAIMER: still not mine

A/N: just so y'all know... while i've spent a great deal of time around hospitals, i am not a medical genius. this chapter contains a patient who suffers from a sudden ailment which leads to a bigger problem. now while i'm sure i correctly described the symptoms, i want to stress that i was totally winging it when it came to how the doctors handle the situation. please, go easy...

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_How could this happen to me?_

_I've made my mistakes, got nowhere to run_

_The night goes on as I'm fading away_

_I'm sick of this life, I just wanna scream_

_How could this happen to me?_

_----------------------------------------------------_

"Elizabeth, wake up. We're here."

Elizabeth opened her eyes. She hadn't realized that she'd fallen asleep again. She sat up straight and looked at Jason, much to the disagreement of her stomach, which shot a sharp pain up through her abdomen to her chest. She ignored it. He was smiling at her and pointing past her out the window. She looked out at the city.

"It's beautiful."

"Wait until we get into downtown. It's better when you're up close."

They were the last to disembark and Jason didn't noticed that Elizabeth took extra care as she put on her hoodie or that she winced when she stuck her left arm in the sleeve.

They departed the bus and grabbed their duffels as they were unloaded from under the bus. Elizabeth slung her backpack over her right shoulder and picked up her duffel with her right hand. Her stomach gave a nasty heave but she didn't say anything. Jason hailed the cab and held the door open for her. He grabbed her duffel and set it in the trunk. She shook her head when he asked for her backpack. He shrugged, threw his own duffel in the trunk, closed it, and got in the cab.

"Where to?" The cabbie, an aged man with a work worn face and tired eyes, glanced expectantly at them in the rearview.

"Seattle Grace Hospital please."

The cabbie nodded and pulled away from the curb, heading towards Jason's destination.

"Why are we going to the hospital?" Elizabeth had been hugging her stomach with her right arm and didn't think he had noticed. She couldn't go to the hospital. It was too dangerous. She began scrolling through excuses in her mind, trying to pick one she thought Jason would accept.

"My aunt's a doctor. We're going to meet her there and then we'll go back to her place for dinner."

Elizabeth nodded but there was still a nauseating feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had no idea if she was getting sick or if the worry was bringing some insubstantial pain to the forfront of her mind. That answer soon came.

"Elizabeth, are you feeling alright?" Jason reached for her, but then, as if he was still deciding whether it was appropriate for him to touch her, stopped it halfway to its destination.

"I don't feel so…" Elizabeth felt it rise in her throat, not the bile she'd been expecting, but blood. It started to leak between her lips and she had no choice but to open her mouth and let it fall.

Jason stared as the girl before him continued to heave crimson liquid. He turned to the cabbie who was already staring in wide-eyed horror at the scene playing out in his rearview mirror.

"Hurry!"

The man floored the cab, frantically dodging traffic as he sped through the street of downtown. His eyes flew between the road and the mirror.

Elizabeth grew paler with each ounce of blood that left her body. Finally, her body went limp and the blood stopped. She fell sideways into Jason's lap.

Five minutes later they pulled to a screeching halt in front of the ER doors at SGH. Jason kicked open the door and jumped out, racing through the automatic doors. "HELP!"

A small doctor was the first to turn to him. She was petite and African American. Her eyes widened at the sight of a blood covered young man carrying an even bloodier teenage girl. The girl in his arms straggled against his arms as she regained consciousness.

The doctor jumped into action the second she saw the girl's eyes open, the second she saw the fear.

"I need some help here." The doctor was calling out to anyone within range.

She and several nurses that appeared from nowhere converged on them. They pulled Elizabeth from Jason's arms and carried her to an empty bed. Jason followed, trying to keep the hysteria from overtaking him.

"What happened?"

It took Jason a moment to realize the doctor was addressing him.

"I don't know. We were coming to visit my aunt and I noticed she was looking pale. She said she wasn't feeling good and then just… There was so much blood. She couldn't keep it down. It was everywhere." He noticed that some nurses were pushing him onto the next bed and trying to pry something from his hand. He looked down and saw the backpack. He couldn't remember grabbing it from her, but he must have when he carried her in. He shook his head. "I'm fine. It's not my blood. It's hers. It's all hers."

Elizabeth coughed so hard it forced her shoulders from the bed and another half cup of blood fell from her mouth to her shirt.

"This girl is bleeding internally. Someone get me some blood!"

"What type?"

The doctor turned to Jason who shook his head apologetically.

"What's her name?"

"Elizabeth."

The doctor turned to the girl. "Elizabeth. I'm Dr. Bailey. I need you to tell me your blood type."

Elizabeth tried to speak but it just produced a gurgling sound from her throat. She lifted her right hand and made a couple gestures, staring at Jason, her eyes pleading with him to understand.

Bailey raised an eyebrow.

"She's O-."

The nearest nurse took off to get the blood. Bailey turned back to Elizabeth. "You're gonna get through this."

"How old is she?"

"Seventeen."

"Someone page Dr. Robbins! And clear OR3!"

"Dr. Bailey?"

She turned towards Jason. He was pointing to Elizabeth. Her eyes rolled back in her head and er body went limp.

"We're losing her! Somebody get me a cart."

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"Dr. Robbins."

She turned towards the nurse who had shouted her name and nearly collapsed.

"Oh my god."

She raced toward her nephew, bloody, with a look of pain on his face.

"Jason, what happened?"

"It's Elizabeth." He pointed to his left where Arizona saw Bailey working diligently to stabilize a teenage girl.

"Dr. Robbins, we've got to get this girl into surgery or she's not gonna make it."

Arizona grabbed one side of the bed to help direct it to OR 3. She glanced back at Jason. "Find Callie." Then she was gone.

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Callie's day had been rather uneventful. She had no surgeries scheduled so she tucked herself into one of the conference rooms to catch up on paperwork. Nobody had bothered her all day and normally that was fine with her. But today loneliness had slowly been sinking in, but she didn't want to bother Arizona with it. The thought occurred to her to visit Izzie Stevens. After a second of deliberation, she got up to do just that.

Izzie's comment as she left had chilled her. Was that really why she kept visiting her once sworn enemy? Guilt?

She pushed the concern from her mind and focused on the page. It had been from little Grey. She went down to the nurses' station. Lexie Grey was behind the desk, talking to a man, seemingly trying to calm him.

"Sir, I paged her. She should be here shortly."

"I need to speak to Dr. Callie Torres. Now." His voice wasn't angry, but urgent, desperate.

"Dr. Grey, what seems to be the problem?"

Lexie's face flooded with relief. The man turned to Callie. She noticed the blood stained clothes first. It was dried, obviously not his. She swallowed hard.

"My names Jason Keaton. My aunt is Arizona Robbins. She sent me to find you. It's my friend Elizabeth, she…"

Callie listened as the man explained what had happened to his friend as fast as he could. When he was finished, Callie looked at little Grey. "Stay with him." Lexie nodded, but Callie was already gone.


	4. Don't Take The Girl

DISCLAIMER:: not mine

A/N:: sorry this took so long. been super super busy at work

_Take the very breath you gave me_

_Take the heart from my chest_

_I'll gladly take her place if you let me_

_Make this my last request_

_Take me out of this world_

_God, but please, don't take the girl_

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Jason found no solace in the confines of the small waiting room. It was mid-day, so it was packed and he felt as if he were suffocating with all these strangers around him. Lexie Grey had tried several times to make idle conversation, but his answers were clipped and eventually she'd given up. They lapsed into a thick silence that suffocated far more than the crowd around them.

He had no idea why he cared at all, let alone so much. Elizabeth was just some girl, some stranger he'd met on a bus. He knew close to nothing about her. She hadn't even been the friendliest person in the beginning. A six hour bus ride next to a girl didn't make her your best friend. She was just a girl. But then, she wasn't, he knew. She was more than that. He cared if she came out of this, possibly more than he cared about anything in a very long time.

He thought back to when she'd first asked him that odd question about where the bus was heading. She hadn't seemed confused, just tired, as if she'd been doing the same thing for a long time. Her black hair, her dark blue eyes, her small frail body, it all looked a little worse for wear. He thought about how she'd pulled nervously on the hem of her worn blue Beatles t-shirt with her right hand. He thought of how the blue of that t-shirt had matched her eyes. He thought of her jeans with the holes ripped in the knees, of the way she tucked her hair behind her ear in the place of smiling. She didn't smile often, it was a luxury few experienced. But he had gotten to see it.

And then those thoughts became tainted as the image of her, bloody and doubled over filled his mind. He shook his head to get the image out of his mind. He bent over in his seat with his head in his hands as if that would keep the offending image out.

"She's gonna be okay."

Jason sat up and turned to face Lexie Grey, an amused smile on his face. "Is that protocol? The famous line you feed to all grieving family members?"

"No… we offer hope sparingly. We rattle off statistics and big medical probabilities because that's what we have to work with. That's what we're faced with everyday. We are detached and distant. We have to be, so we don't feel the losses. We feel them anyway, but that's not the point. We dedicate our emotions to finding a way not to feel them, because if we had to feel every loss… it would destroy us. Because sometimes… we lose. And now, Elizabeth is fighting for her life and I'm telling you I believe she's gonna pull through. I'm supposed to look at the odds, but I'm not, I'm looking past that because I feel she's gonna be okay."

"Are your feelings always right?"

"Sometimes."

Jason nodded. She wasn't giving him false hope, but she was giving him some hope. At that moment he concluded that he respected Dr. Grey. She knew better than to give him anything but the facts, however grim they may be, but she was giving him more than that. She was giving him possibility.

"Thanks, Dr. Grey."

"It's Lexie."

"Thanks, Lexie."

She nodded, glad she could finally offer some type of comfort.

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Callie was quick to scrub in. She had no idea if she would be needed. Sometimes too many hands were not a good thing. So she kept out of the way and just watched Arizona work. They had opened the girl up to a mess. It was obvious they were at a disadvantage going in. Her chest cavity was flooded.

"We need to find the source of this bleeding." Arizona sounded desperate. Desperation was not something Callie had ever heard from her and she became worried. If this didn't end well, she would have to do some serious damage control with her normally optimistic girlfriend. But finding the source of the bleeding seemed to be proving difficult.

"Check the main arteries first." Callie jumped into action, pushing her way into the group surrounding the girl. She met Arizona's eyes briefly and she saw relief in them. Together they covered the main arteries. It was the only thing Callie could think of that would cause so much blood.

"Her ribs are a mess." Callie would normally be delighted to see so many fractured and broken bones in one body, but this was a different story all together. This girl had been in pain before the bleed. Extreme pain. Every breath would have caused it.

And in an instant she saw what she was looking for. A small piece of one of the girl's left ribs had punctured an artery. It was a small but substantial hole. Any bigger and she would have been dead by the time she came through the ER doors. The bone had just nicked the surface. Callie was more concerned that it was alarmingly close to her heart.

Arizona saw it too. "We need to repair this now. Try not to jostle her; if that hole gets any bigger she'll bleed out before we can move."

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"Close up please, Dr. Yang." Arizona stepped back from the body, pulled off her gloves and headed for the scrub room.

Callie was waiting for her. She had left almost an hour earlier after she'd helped remove the offending piece of bone.

Arizona flipped on the water and dipped her arms under the steady stream of liquid. She had a look of frustration on her face. It was an expression Callie had not seen often.

"What's wrong?" Callie put a hand on her shoulder. "You saved that girl's life."

Arizona looked back into the OR where Yang was still working diligently. "For now."

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"Jason?"

Jason shot up out of his chair at the sound of his name. Callie stood at the entrance to the now deserted waiting room. His face fell. If Elizabeth had survived, wouldn't Arizona be here to deliver the news. A knot formed in his chest and his breath caught.

"She survived the surgery. We were able to successfully repair the tear in her artery. We've had her moved to recovery. It'll be a while before you can go and see her. Your aunt suggests you go home and rest."

The knot released itself. She was alive. Elizabeth was alive. He glanced at Lexie Grey and she gave him a knowing smile.

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_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

It was the first sounds of heaven Elizabeth heard. She had no idea where it was coming from, just that it was somewhere in the void of light beyond her eyelids. She forced them open. Jason was before her asleep, at his feet, her backpack. She hadn't expected him to be in heaven too. Had the bus blown up?

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

She looked over at the monitor emitting the sound. A beep for each beat. Beating. Her heart was still beating. She was still alive… she was still alive, in a hospital, in Seattle. Which meant she wasn't safe. She wasn't where she needed to be. She couldn't be here. She had to get out of this hospital. Now.


	5. Be My Escape

_I gotta get outta here_

_I'm stuck into this rut that I fell into by mistake_

_I gotta get outta here_

_And I'm begging you, I'm begging you, I'm begging you _

_To be my escape_

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"What's the problem?" Arizona raced into room 311.

"It's Ashleigh." Carolyn Malcolm was bent over her daughter. "She's having trouble breathing."

Arizona nodded sympathetically. Ashleigh had been fighting leukemia for over a year. She hadn't been Arizona's patient for long, but the blonde peds surgeon had realized quickly that the treatments were becoming less and less effective with each passing month. Eleven days prior she had to the 10 year old's mother that she had less than a week to live. The extra days had made Ms. Malcolm unrealistically hopeful that things would magically get better. While Arizona was surprised by the little girl's strength, she also knew the hard truth. Ashleigh was dying, soon. She knew now that soon had come.

"Ms. Malcolm…" Arizona put a comforting hand on the woman's back. "It's time." She braced herself for an outburst of denial, but Carolyn Malcolm just nodded, her eyes never leaving her daughter, even when the heart monitor flatlined.

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"What are you doing up here Callie?" Mark fell into the seat next to her. When she didn't answer he followed her gaze out to the empty OR below. It had been over two hours since the surgery that saved Elizabeth's life had taken place there.

"I stood down there, operating on that girl today and I thought about Erica."

"Erica…" He rolled the name around as if trying to recall a memory. "Wait… Hahn?" Mark looked at Callie in confusion. Erica's name had been taboo for nearly six months now.

"I watched Arizona working on that girl's chest with me and I kept looking at her work nervously… thinking about how Erica should be here. I doubted that girl was gonna make it with Arizona working on her… and I wanted Erica here to fix things when she failed."

"So you trust Erica's abilities more than Arizona's. Erica Hahn is a nationally recognized heart surgeon. She's one of the best, if not the best, that this country has to offer when it comes to cardio. Arizona doesn't have near the experience she does. It's just fact Callie, there's nothing to feel guilty about."

"It's not that. It's just…"

"You didn't stop thinking about her."

"I've spent so many days putting her out of my mind. It's over. Erica's not coming back. I have Arizona now. I'm happy. I'm really happy. So, why now? Why is she invading my head now?"

"Did you ever think that maybe she never left?"

-------------------------------------------------------------

"I'M FINE!!!"

"Please get back in your bed."

"No! I would like my discharge papers."

"You just underwent a major surgery less than twenty four hours ago…"

"Shut up Jason!" Elizabeth glared at him, then returned her gaze back to the nurse. "My discharge papers, please."

"As I said before…"

"I got it from here Sarah, thanks." Arizona stood in the doorway.

"Yes, Dr. Robbins." The young nurse didn't hesitate before bolting from the room.

Arizona eyed the girl. She was out of bed, which troubled the blonde. The surgical aftermath must be taking its toll on her body, but if she felt any pain or discomfort, she showed little sign of it. There was blood leaking from her arm from where she'd obviously ripped out her IV. She was in a defensive position on the opposite side of the bed from Arizona and the door. The blonde was confident that she'd be able to stop her should she try and make a run for it.

"How are you feeling Elizabeth?"

"Fine, thanks to you." Elizabeth didn't smile and Arizona got the impression that she rarely did, but her voice was sincere. "But I need to go."

Arizona nodded. "I understand that hospitals can be scary places but I can't let you go. Not in your condition."

Elizabeth ran her right hand through her hair in frustration. "Please don't treat me like I'm five Dr. Robbins. I am not scared of being in a hospital. I just CAN NOT be here right now. It is extremely important that I leave here, today."

"Elizabeth, you're a minor. I can't release you unless it's into the custody of your parent or guardian."

Elizabeth nodded; she'd figured this would be what it came down to. She regretted instantly telling Jason her age. If he wouldn't have known, he probably would have guessed that she was at least eighteen or would have told the doctors that he didn't know for sure. Then she wouldn't be in this mess. She relaxed her position and Arizona felt most of the tension in the room recede.

Elizabeth climbed back onto the bed and sat with her legs pressed to her chest and her arms wrapped around her knees, a position that should hurt her but didn't seem to. Arizona again noticed her left arm, bandaged from shoulder to wrist, just as she had in surgery, but she decided not to jump straight to that particular subject. She let herself relax as she realized Elizabeth's hostility was gone, at least for the moment.

"What's your last name Elizabeth?"

The girl didn't hesitate before answering. "Kelly."

_At least she's cooperating_. "Where are your parents?"

Elizabeth looked away.

"Okay, fine. Where are you from then?"

"Miami." Jason answered when Elizabeth remained silent.

Elizabeth looked back at her and the look on her face told Arizona that she wouldn't get much out of her.

"The effects of the morphine will wear off soon." _They should have already_. "Is it alright if I have Sarah come and set you up with another IV before that happens?"

Elizabeth shrugged and Arizona took that as an okay. "Please try and get some rest. I'll be back to check on you in a couple hours. Jason, could I speak to you for a moment?"

Jason seemed reluctant to go, but after an encouraging nod from Elizabeth he left with Arizona. She led him silently to her office.

"Close the door behind you."

Jason obeyed, shutting the door as Arizona took the seat behind her desk. She gave him a reproachful look.

"What do you know about this girl? Where'd you meet her? School?"

"No. She was sitting next to me on the bus from Boise."

"You mean to tell me you've known this girl for less than a day? Are you insane?"

"Listen, just because my mom died does not give you the right to take her place. I'm twenty now. I choose my own friends."

Arizona cringed. It wasn't often that her sister was mentioned. "And that includes underage strangers?"

Jason sighed. "Her birthday is not far off. As for the stranger part, she's not. Isn't every friend technically a stranger until you meet them?"

Arizona decided it was best not to fight him on the point. He was right about one thing; he could make his own choices.

"Did she tell you about what happened to her arm?"

"I asked and she said it was some accident she was in."

"I think I might order a psych consult for her tomorrow morning."

"What, you think she cut herself or something?"

Arizona frowned. "Honestly, I don't think so. But this need to get out of the hospital… enough that she'd pull out her own IV and demand her discharge papers worries me."

"She's not crazy. She's friendly, but guarded. You should just try talking to her… less like a doctor, more like a human. She has a good sense of humor. She's sweet. She's…"

"Got some unexplained injuries?"

Jason rolled his eyes. "Is that supposed to make me suspicious?"

Arizona frowned. "Just… be careful okay? There's something she'd not telling us."


	6. Black Eyes Blue Tears

_Black eyes, I don't need 'em_

_Blue tears, gimme freedom_

_Black eyes, all behind me_

_Blue tears'll never find me now_

_-----------------------------------------------_

"I think you need a break from this place, a good break." Callie entered the elevator, morning coffee in hand, followed by Arizona, who looked a little ragged.

"I just could not sleep last night. Something about that girl just rubs me the wrong way. And the fact that you weren't there only made it worse."

Callie frowned. "I'm sorry. If I wasn't on call last night, I would have been there."

"I know. I was just so stressed. I still am."

"Which is precisely my point. That is why tomorrow it's just you and me. We both have the day off and we are going to spend it getting lost in each other."

Arizona smiled, but it was the first time all morning that it had touched her eyes. The elevator doors sprang open and Arizona backed out, her eyes never leaving Callie's and the smile never leaving her face.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

"Jason." The greeting was short and clipped.

"Arizona." He gave a curt nod.

"Elizabeth." She glanced to the girl on the bed.

"Dr. Robbins." Elizabeth wouldn't look at her.

"Jason, can I speak to Elizabeth…"

"He stays." Elizabeth looked up, venom in her voice.

"Fine." Arizona shifted into an offensive position. This girl was getting on her last nerve. "You suffered from internal bleeding due to an arterial tear caused by a broken rib. It was minor; I was able to successfully repair the damage."

"Great, so when do I get out of here?"

"That is not a possibility." Arizona tried to remain composed. Hadn't they already gone over this?

"WHAT?" The girl shot up and her heart monitor raced.

"We have little to no information about your medical history or your identity. I can't release you and by law you can't release yourself; you're not eighteen yet."

"So, what am I supposed to do, sit here and rot?"

"The sooner you give me some answers, the sooner you can get out of here." Arizona's calm façade was slipping.

"What do you want to know?"

"Well for starters, where your parents are."

"They're dead. My mother when I was young, my father just recently. I take care of myself."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well, shit happens."

"May I ask how?"

The girl shifted uncomfortably. "My mother died in an accident."

"And your father?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "Next question." There were tears at the corners of her eyes.

Jason grabbed her left hand to squeeze it comfortingly. When he did, Elizabeth screamed.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

"What's wrong?" Callie met Arizona at the peds nurses' station.

"I need a consult on Elizabeth Kelly."

"The teenager who came in with your nephew?"

Arizona nodded. "I think her left wrist is broken."

"You think?"

"Well from a distance it looks okay, but she won't let anyone examine it. Every time anyone gets close she goes crazy.

Callie nodded and squared her shoulders. She was not going to let some bitchy teenager get the better of her. She walked past Arizona into the girl's room. "Get out."

Jason's jaw dropped.

"He stays." Elizabeth looked up at her new intruder.

"He goes." Callie crossed her arms.

Elizabeth and Callie's eyes met in challenge. Both were unbelievably stubborn and neither was ready to back down. But one of them had to crack and finally, one did.

Elizabeth nodded. "It's okay Jason. I'll be fine."

He left after one final look at Callie.

"So are you going to let me see that wrist without a fight? Cause I can do this all day."

Elizabeth lifted her bandaged arm.

Callie walked over and unwrapped the bottom edge. Her wrist was bruised and at a slightly odd angle. "It must have hurt badly when it happened. This injury is at least three weeks old, more likely a month. It reset itself so I'm figuring you didn't go to the hospital. May I?" She gestured to the bandage that wrapped all the way up her arm.

Elizabeth looked past her out to the hall to see if anyone was there. She saw no one. Finally, she nodded.

Callie gingerly unwrapped layer after layer of the rough material. As her skin became exposed, Callie gasped. It was bruised and torn from shoulder to wrist. The top layer of skin was missing on almost all of it, the new skin that had come up in some spots was discolored, the wound still scabbed over everywhere else. Once it healed, her arm would be one large scar.

Elizabeth looked up at Callie with tears in her eyes. "Please, don't tell Dr. Robbins."

"I…"

"Please."

Callie felt herself nodding. "Hurry and cover your arm up with the blanket."

Elizabeth did as she was told.

"Nurse!" Callie watched a passing nurse lean into the room.

"Yes, Dr. Torres?"

"Can you get me two rolls of gauze wrap please?"

The nurse nodded and ran off. Callie turned to Elizabeth. "That will be easier on your skin, allow it to breathe better so it can heal faster."

A few minutes later the nurse returned. Callie took the gauze wraps and thanked her. Elizabeth handed over her arm and Callie expertly wrapped it. "You can only hide this for so long."

Elizabeth nodded. "I know."

Callie frowned. "Now, about your wrist…"

-------------------------------------------------------------

"Was it broken?" Arizona looked up from her desk as Callie fell into the seat on the other side.

"Yeah. In three places. But she had let it set. So, I had to break it again to set it correctly. She took it like a champ though, better than most grown men do."

Arizona shook her head. "She must have a high tolerance for pain or something."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well think about it…. Jason said she never showed any sign that she was in pain on the bus, yet she had four broken ribs. Her wrist was broken and set wrong. And this morning when she first woke up, she was out of her bed, 17 hours after surgery."

"I think there's more to her than meets the eye." Callie ran a hand through her hair and sighed.

"I do to. The trouble is, finding out what. She claims her parents are dead and she's been taking care of herself."

"Well her injuries are consistent with that of a car wreck. Maybe she's homeless, living out of her car and somebody crashed into it or she wrecked it herself."

"You're probably right. It makes sense. It fits her story and the injuries she's sustained."

"But you don't think so?" Callie tilted her head questioningly.

"I just have this feeling that she's not being entirely honest."

"I'm know the feeling... I have it to."


	7. Say It Again

_Say it again for me_

_Cause I love the way it feels _

_When you are telling me that I'm_

_The only one who blows your mind_

_Say it again for me_

_It's like the whole world stops to listen_

_When you tell me you're in love_

_Say it again_

_-------------------------------------------------------------_

"You made blueberry pancakes." Arizona strode into the kitchen in a mid length silk robe. She took a good look around the room and her smile took on an amused edge. "You _tried_ to make blueberry pancakes."

Callie shrugged. "I'm not good with flour and fruit."

Arizona giggled. She picked up a plate of misshapen bread blobs and carried it to the table. "I love it."

Callie smiled, though somewhere in her mind a little part of her was worried that Arizona might actually attempt to eat her creations, just for her benefit. "Really?"

Arizona nodded. "Really." She walked to stand in front of Callie.

Callie picked her up in one swift motion and set her on the counter. She placed herself between the blonde's legs and pulled her into a deep kiss. Her hands caressed the inside of Arizona's thighs. Arizona moaned against her lips. Arizona's mind blanked out every worry and all the stress she'd been feeling from work. For the first time in two days, she felt completely relaxed. So when Callie untied her robe and let it slip from her shoulders, Arizona was ready to spend the day getting lost in her arms.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bree paced the hallway of her family's three story estate, contemplating her next plan of action. She'd covered Chloe's trail so far but it became harder as reports of her disappearance spread. The first week her dad had called, frantic. She had put on her best worried-sister face and come home to help look for her. But as week two rolled around and there was still no sign of her, the media had begun to take serious interest. The search had escalated to a national scale just that morning, with at least a dozen newspapers from each state running the story. Bree knew if anybody substantial recognized Chloe it would all be over. She could only pray her younger sister had already made it safely to her destination.

"Bree, I know you're worried about Chloe, but you need to stop pacing." Natalie popped her head out of her room.

Bree stopped and glared at her older sister. Natalie finally shrugged in surrender and went back into the guest room she was staying in.

"Suit yourself."

Bree sighed and fell back against the hallway wall. "Please, Chloe, please say you made it."

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Dancing. It was infectious. Poetic movement. A story told by the constantly shifting positions of one's body. Callie had always been a fan of it as a form of release. You could use dance to express any emotion. It's the easiest and simplest form of communication of someone's desires.

Right now, Callie and Arizona were dancing. The sun had set all too quickly on their perfect day and rather than take to the streets, they had opted to stay in and entertain themselves.

And then came the knock.

Both women had made a point of telling everyone they knew that today, as far as the outside world was concerned, they didn't exist. So the knock stopped them dead.

After nearly a minute passed and neither of them had moved, Callie sighed. She broke away from Arizona rather reluctantly and went to the door, opening it.

Mark stood there, somberly looking back at her.

"This had better be really_ really_ good Sloan."

Mark handed her the thing in his hand, a newspaper. "I think both of you should read this." He turned on his heel and left. It was probably they shortest conversation they'd ever had.

She shrugged, tossed the newspaper on the kitchen table, and returned to her girlfriend.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that night in the throes of passion, as Arizona climaxed, she uttered the words some people dread. "Calliope, I love you."

Callie knew she wouldn't be able to get away with no answer for long. But she also knew she was still holding on to a love that had long since deserted her. She had to let go. She hoped Arizona didn't notice or at least didn't make anything of her hesitation. "I love you too."

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Callie was hardly ever up before Arizona. The blonde was usually up with the sun and Callie was more of the anytime-before-10-is-acceptable type of gal. Today was one of the few times she was. The blonde sighed contentedly and rolled over as Callie gently slipped from her embrace.

She made her way to the kitchen and put on the morning coffee, as was the job of the first up. She had just poured herself a cup when she noticed something on the table. It was the newspaper Mark had delivered the night before. She picked it up, pulled off the rubber band, and opened it to the front page.

Immediately it fell from her hands, flat on the table, the front page staring back at her. Eyes were looking up at her from the page, more specifically from the picture of a blonde girl. A blonde girl she knew all too well. Except now, she was a brunette and a little older. _No Progress in Search for Florida Senator's Daughter_. Staring back at her from the front page was Elizabeth Kelly. Except it seemed that Elizabeth Kelly wasn't Elizabeth Kelly, but rather Chloe Hanley and Chloe Hanley had been kidnapped.


	8. Nobody's Home

_She wants to go home_

_But nobody's home_

_That's where she lies_

_Broken inside_

_With no place to go_

_No place to go_

_To dry her eyes_

_Broken inside_

_---------------------------------------------------------_

"Come here." Arizona pulled Callie into the nearest on call room.

"What?" Callie allowed herself to be dragged with a frown and not much enthusiasm. Most days, she'd be thrilled when some hot chick, especially _her_ hot chick, pulled her into an empty on call room, but not today.

"You've been acting… off since you woke up this morning." She closed the door and rested her back against it, barring any chance for Callie to escape. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"I'm fine." Callie had been muttering that phrase all day. It was starting to get old.

Arizona nodded and let her eyes fall to the ground. "This is about what I said last night, isn't it?"

Callie's stomach flipped and she dropped onto the nearest bed. "No, babe, I…"

Arizona raised a hand to cut her off. "It's okay Callie."

That was a slap to the face more than anything else she had said. Arizona never called her Callie; it wasn't her nature to do so. Callie felt her heart start cracking. This woman had taken the leap and had confessed her love and here she was, just sitting there watching Arizona try desperately not to cry. "No!"

Callie's abruptness caught Arizona off guard and she looked at her with wide eyes.

"If you think this is about last night, then it is not okay." Callie stood and walked up to Arizona.

Arizona turned away from her to face the door. She couldn't bring herself to look at Callie.

Callie pushed aside her hair and kissed her neck. "I told you I loved you last night, Arizona Robbins, and I meant it. I don't toss around those words lightly."

Arizona turned around. "Really?"

Callie nodded. "I love you."

Arizona smiled."Kiss me."

Callie obliged.

Arizona finally pulled away, leaning back against the door with a smile on her face. "Are you going to tell me what is bothering you then?"

Callie smiled and nodded. "Of course, but not right now."

Arizona nodded. "When you're ready then."

---------------------------------------------------------------

"Where's Jason?" Callie leaned against the doorframe and stared into the room.

Elizabeth looked up and smiled at Callie. She liked the orthopedic surgeon. She trusted her and trust was not something she offered often.

"I had to send him down to the cafeteria. He was starting to look thin and pale sitting up here all hours of the day."

Callie smiled. He had barely left her bedside since she'd been admitted three days before. "He likes you."

Elizabeth smiled sadly. "I know."

Callie frowned and stepped into the room. "Don't seem so depressed. He's a good guy and he's pretty good looking if you ask me."

"I just wish…" Elizabeth looked away, not finishing her thought.

"He knew the truth?"

Elizabeth remained calm as she looked up, but Callie saw the terror in her eyes. She didn't deny Callie's statement, but she was too scared to confirm it.

"Who were you running from Chloe?"

Elizabeth flinched at the use of her real name. "Please, call me Elizabeth. It's my middle name. My mom used to call me Elizabeth… before she died. My father and siblings are the only ones who still call me Chloe."

The fact that Elizabeth had avoided the question was not lost on Callie, but she decided to broach that subject later. "How long have you been…"

"On the run?" Elizabeth frowned. "I left DC almost a month ago. I've been switching buses in each city, trying to get out of the country. I never stay in one place for more than a few days and I never, ever go to a place where I might be vulnerable."

"Such as a hospital." It clicked for Callie. This girl was on the run. She had been for a month now and the fact that they wouldn't release her until they found out her true identity meant that she would lose all the work she'd been doing to get away in an instant.

She pulled out the newspaper and tossed it on the bed. "I like it better dark."

Elizabeth stared at the photo on the front page, her senior yearbook photo. Her hair had been blonde then. "It was light brown when I was born, like my mom's. After she died, I was forced to dye it blonde; no one wanted a reminder of her. After graduation, the day I ran I dyed it black, mostly for protection."

"You've been planning this for a long time." It wasn't a question but a statement of fact.

"Since I was 14. My senior year I started writing term papers for some spare cash. It started out as just a couple here and there, but then I was writing two a week. I had over three thousand dollars by graduation, not to mention all the money I got for graduation."

"So, you weren't kidnapped?"

"No."

Callie nodded.

"Does Dr. Robbins know?" Elizabeth fingered her IV tube, her eyes downcast.

Callie pursed her lips. "I didn't tell her. I had a feeling I should let you explain yourself before I started flashing news articles in her face and telling her to call your father. Someone who's been away from her family for that long without making contact probably doesn't want to be found."

"Are you going to tell her?"

Callie walked over to the bed. She sat on the edge and looked at the girl lying there. "No." She looked away and then back. "But I can't keep this from her forever."

Elizabeth nodded. "Not forever, just a week."

-----------------------------------------------------------------

"Dr. Robbins seems unusually perky." Mark glanced past Callie at the bubbly blonde. She was down the hall at the nurses' station filling out charts and sneaking small glances at Callie every few seconds, her smile widening each time.

"What do you mean? She's always perky."

Mark nodded. "True, but I figured after finding out her patient's true identity, she'd be a little more, well, down."

"She probably would be."

"You didn't tell her?"

"Nope." Callie picked up her files and started heading down the hall in the opposite direction from her best friend and girlfriend.

"Callie!" He chased after her.

"What?" She whirled on him angrily.

"It's her patient! She deserves to know!"

"I have to do what's best for the patient, no matter whose patient it is. I can't tell Arizona when I think it will endanger the patient's well being!"

"Whoa, I heard my name thrown around in there. What's up?" Arizona appeared next to Mark and Callie.

Callie held her breath and stared at Mark, waiting for him to tell Arizona the truth, a truth that would ruin everything.

"Nothing Dr. Robbins. Callie and I were just discussing work ethics."

Arizona raised an eyebrow.

Mark just turned and walked away. Callie knew he would not tell anyone the truth, even though he obviously still didn't agree with her decision.

Callie stormed off in the opposite direction.

Arizona looked after them both before sighing and following Callie. She found her pacing in an empty conference room. She stepped in her path and grabbed her shoulders, stopping her. "Talk to me."

Callie shook her head. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. Arizona looked so concerned and she wanted so badly to just tell her everything. She wanted to believe that she could trust her girlfriend to handle the situation the right way, but she didn't believe that. She knew what Arizona would do, and she had to keep that from happening. But she also knew that she would have to shut out Arizona to do so, and that meant hurting her. For the second time that week she felt herself needing Erica, needing her best friend. Erica would ground her. She would tell her what to do. Damn her for leaving! Damn her!

"Calliope, talk to me." Arizona shook her lightly and brought her back to reality.

Elizabeth's face flooded her mind, her desperate voice. _Not forever, just a week._

Her face fell against Arizona's shoulder. She kept any potential sobs at bay but she let the tears fall freely.

Arizona said no more. She just rubbed Callie's back in comfort.


	9. No News

_She could telephone, tell a friend, tell a lie about where she's been_

_Send a pigeon, send a fax, write it on a post-it pad_

_Send a signal up in smoke, tap it out in morse code_

_I'd prefer a bad excuse to no news_

_----------------------------------------------------------_

Callie had stalled for two more days. On the morning of the third day when she woke up, Arizona was sitting on the couch, looking somber.

Callie stretched and yawned. "You're up early this morning, even for you." She leaned down and tried to capture the blonde's lips, but Arizona turned her face away.

"Calliope, we need to talk."

The infamous words stung Callie but she nodded sadly. She had known this moment might come. "You're ending it."

Arizona's eyes closed. "No."

Callie nodded again. She heard the truth that Arizona wasn't saying. "I'll just go put some clothes on and I'll be out of here…"

Arizona stood. "Callie! Stop! Sit down!"

Callie crossed her arms but sat down on the arm of the couch.

Arizona sighed. "You're shutting me out Calliope and I don't like it. You've got this…thing… that you're dealing with and I can respect that. I've given you time to sort it out on your own, but I can't take it anymore. I love you." Arizona came to stand before Callie. She put her hands on either side of Callie's face. "I love you. I want you; I want this. But I can't… I won't invest anymore time in someone who doesn't trust me."

Callie bit her lip. "I love you too. And I do trust you. I told you I'd tell you and I will."

Arizona dropped her hands, the hurt evident in her eyes. "When?"

Callie frowned. "Tonight. Tonight we'll sit down, just you and me, and we'll talk about this. I promise. Okay?"

Arizona nodded. She pulled Callie up and into her arms. "Tonight then."

--------------------------------------------------------------

"Callie!"

"Hey Izzie."

"Alex, can you give us a couple minutes?"

Karev studied Callie warily as he walked past her on his way out the door.

"I came because I wanted to." Callie sat down in the chair Karev had just vacated.

"I know."

"I need your help with something."

Izzie's eyes brightened. She didn't get to offer much assistance from the confines of her bed. Any opportunity to feel like she was needed made her instantly feel better. "Okay, shoot."

"I have a patient. Well, actually, Arizona has a patient. Seventeen year old female admitted for internal bleeding. Once the bleeding was controlled, Arizona found that she also had a broken wrist. Upon diagnosing how best to repair the break I discovered…" Callie paused, searching for the right words to describe what she had seen.

"What?"

"Her arm was… skinned."

Izzie's eyes widened, but she kept her composure. "Do you know what happened?"

"She originally claimed she had no parents, but I later uncovered that she has a father. She told me she's been on the run for weeks."

"You think her father did this to her." It was a statement not a question.

Callie closed her eyes and nodded. "I'm almost certain. She wants to stay undetected until her 18th birthday in four days. Why would she want that unless she's waiting for the opportunity to check herself out of the hospital? Once she hits that birthday Arizona is no longer required to inform her parents that she's being treated here. But it's getting harder to keep this up. Arizona knows I'm hiding something and it's just a matter of time before somebody recognizes her."

Izzie nodded. "You have to protect the patient Callie, above all else. I can't tell you how to…"

"Dr. Torres, Elizabeth is asking for you." Jason stuck his head in the doorway.

Callie nodded and stood. "Thanks Iz." She walked to the door.

"I'm glad you came back Callie."

"I know."

---------------------------------------------------------------

"Dr. Torres!" Elizabeth looked scared as Callie entered. "I'm on the news." She hit the volume up on the remote so Callie could hear.

"The search efforts have spread out since Friday, posters are spread out throughout her home state of Florida and most of the east coast. And slowly it's spreading west. We go now to Sabrina Mackenzie in DC. Sabrina?"

The reporter smiled at the camera waiting for the delayed feed to catch up to her. "Thanks Dale. Behind me is the street from where Chloe Hanley, the teenage daughter of Florida state Senator Richard Hanley, was abducted nearly a month ago. Authorities have witnesses stating that they saw the seventeen year old being pushed into a car by an older woman though none have been able to provide enough information to discern the abductor's identity."

"Are there any leads in the case, Sabrina?"

"Travis Sway, a resident of Nashville, Tennessee claims to have seen someone matching the missing girl's description at a diner just outside Nashville city limits two weeks ago. He, however, said the girl he saw was alone and that…"

The TV clicked off.

Jason walked over to Elizabeth's bedside. He grabbed her good hand and looked back at Callie. "What's gonna happen?"

Callie shook her head. "I don't know. I'm going to talk to your aunt tonight, see if I can't stall her until your birthday."

Jason shook his head. "I know her. That's not gonna work."

Callie shrugged helplessly. "What else can we do?"

Jason frowned, but his face was determined. "We can break her out of here."

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Richard Hanley had been on edge the past month. He had always been a calm individual, but now he raced around his house with worry. He knew it would be a hard adjustment for Richie and Chloe when they moved here to DC. He had expected it to cause an even bigger rift between the two, if that was even possible. He had expected that Chloe might have a hard time in school because she was the daughter of a politician. He had expected that people who didn't agree with his position on things might target his family. But he had expected nothing like this. Chloe kidnapped? A month with no news.

Having Natalie and Bree close at hand was helping, but he could tell Bree's heart wasn't in the search, nor Natalie's. Natalie and Chloe had never been close. But Bree was her best friend. He could make no sense of her hesitation. He couldn't make sense of any of it.

And then that man in Nashville had gotten his hopes up. But he had been positive that the girl was alone. If Chloe had escaped her kidnappers, she would have called. So it couldn't have been her. Could it?

------------------------------------------------------------------

Callie was sitting on the couch when Arizona came in. She dropped her bag on the counter and came to sit beside Callie. She looked at the brunette, noting that she looked a little worse for wear.

"Why are you letting this get to you?" Arizona pushed a strand of Callie's hair behind one ear. "Whatever it is, it can't be that bad that you have to beat yourself up over it." She crawled across Callie's legs, straddling her lap and kissed her softly. "Please Calliope. I want to know what's wrong. I want to help."

Callie licked her lips and sighed. "I have this patient. I think she's being abused."

Arizona went rigid. "How do you know?"

Callie sighed. "She was pretty badly injured and she lied about it. She's scared I'll call the man who I believe is responsible."

Arizona kissed Callie softly again. "This is what's been bothering you? Why didn't you just tell me Calliope? You know how I feel about abuse. I could have helped you decide a course of action. These things can't be tolerated."

Callie smiled. "I knew you'd understand."

"Of course I do."

Callie kissed Arizona deeply. "I love you."

Arizona smiled. "Why don't we deal with all this tomorrow? I think tonight should be about winding down. We've had a long, crazy week."

Callie nodded. "I like that idea."

Arizona grinned. "I thought you might." She leaned in and her mouth met Callie's.

The brunette didn't object. She pulled Arizona's hips closer to her own. Her hands found the bottom of Arizona's shirt and she pulled it up and over her head.

The blonde smiled and crawled off Callie's lap. She backed towards the bedroom, her hand reaching behind her to the clasp of her bra. She unhooked it with one hand and let it fall to the floor, beckoning Callie with her other hand. Callie was quick to follow.

When she reached the bedroom door, Arizona had already kicked off her jeans and was on the bed. Callie raised her own shirt over her head and unzipped her own jeans, pulling them off. She crawled up the bed and on top of the blonde peds surgeon. Their lips met again and Arizona's fingers worked on the clasp of Callie's bra. Once she had that off, her hands kneaded Callie's full bust.

Callie moaned into Arizona's mouth. Her hands roamed down the blonde's torso to her hips. She pulled Arizona's lacy underwear down and off, her mouth traveling to the blonde's neck and lower. She pulled one of the blonde's nipples into her mouth with her tongue and sucked on it lightly. Arizona moaned and gasped in response. Callie's hand drifted to the area between Arizona's legs. She thrust two fingers into her without hesitation, causing the blonde to moan even louder. She grinded her hips against Callie's hand as the brunette moved her mouth to give attention to the other nipple.

It didn't take long before Callie could feel Arizona's climax building. She was close. Callie returned her mouth to the blonde's, kissing her fiercely as she continued to rock still harder in and out of her. A few minutes later and Arizona's body arched with her climax. Callie felt the blonde's breath leave her for a few moments and her mouth fell away as her head fell back on the pillow. Callie kissed her neck to keep her own mouth occupied, pressing the tip of her tongue and lips wetly against any free patch of skin she encountered. Arizona took the freedom of her mouth to regain a normal breathing pattern before she pulled Callie's mouth back to hers.

The kissing and heavy petting lasted for a couple more hours before, exhausted, they resigned themselves to the necessity of sleep.


	10. All You Wanted

DISCLAIMER:: still not mine

A/N:: i apologize to arizona fans, because i really paint her in a bad light in this chapter. but i promise things do get better for her.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

_If you want to, I can save you_

_I can take you away from here _

_So lonely inside, so busy out there_

_All you wanted was sombody who cares_

_-------------------------------------------------------------------_

"Calliope, wake up." Arizona kissed Callie's forehead which earned her a couple pleasant grumbles from the ortho surgeon. She kissed her again, this time on her lips. "Calliope, wake up. It's time to go to work."

This time Callie grumbled, but not in a nice way. She opened her eyes to see Arizona's face inches from hers. She put a hand on the blonde's cheek and brought her lips down to her own. "Good morning."

Arizona pulled away and smiled. "Good morning."

They both got ready at a snail slow pace, stealing kisses every couple seconds. They were late to work, which normally Arizona hated being. They went their separate ways and changed into their scrubs. When they reconvened in front of the surgical board they were both caught by a nurse who approached them, out of breath from running.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

"Dr. Robbins, Dr. Torres. I thought you should see this." To Callie's horror the nurse held up the article in which Callie had first learned Elizabeth's true identity. "I found it while cleaning Elizabeth Kelly's room." She handed it to Arizona.

Arizona scanned it quickly. "She lied to me."

Callie put a hand on her arm.

Arizona looked at her and offered her the newspaper. "Read this."

Callie shook her head. "I don't need to. I already did."

Arizona studied her for a moment and Callie saw the anger rolling behind her eyes. "And you didn't feel the need to inform me? She's my patient Callie!" Arizona threw the newspaper down at her feet and started to head off.

"Where are you going?" Callie called after her.

Arizona didn't even bother to look back. "To clean up the mess you made."

Callie grabbed the article and went back into the locker room. She dug through her purse until she found her phone. She needed to do something and fast. She had no doubt of what Arizona planned to do. So she knew what she had to do. She pressed in a number that she didn't dial more than once a month. A man answered on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Dad, it's me."

"Calliope? What is it? You sound upset."

"Dad. I'm in trouble. I need your help."

---------------------------------------------------------------

_Chloe looked up at the three story house. It was bigger than their house in Florida had been for sure, but somehow it didn't feel the same._

_"What do you think girls?"_

_Natalie, Bree, and Chloe looked up at their father. Natalie and Bree both just shrugged and headed up the pathway with some boxes. What should they care, they didn't have to live there full time with their father and their brother. Only Chloe did._

_"It doesn't feel like home. I miss Miami."_

_"It'll take some getting used to Chloe, but just think of it as a new start. It should be a nice change."_

_Chloe knew that by 'nice change' he meant a place where they weren't reminded of her deceased mother._

_"Richie is not going to like it."_

-------------------------------------------------------------------

_"It hurts." Chloe lifted her shirt, showing her older sister the three gashes beneath her left breast._

_Bree frowned and ran her fingers over the wounds. "I know."_

_Chloe frowned. "I don't think I can make it to my eighteenth birthday."_

_"It's only five months away. Then you can come live with me. I promise I'll take care of you."_

_"I think he's going to kill me."_

--------------------------------------------------------

_"Wake up."_

_"Leave me alone." Chloe muttered before she tossed a pillow at the man in her doorway._

_"I said wake up!"_

_"And I said leave me alone."_

_"So…" The man's voice cracked with anger. "You're not going to get up?"_

_"Not right now."_

_"Fine." He disappeared, closing the door behind him._

_Chloe was not stupid enough to think he wouldn't come back. He would. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She had to be prepared for when he did._

_It was nearly twenty minutes later when he returned. As the door was opened she saw his form silhouetted on the wall, framed by the hall light. She felt him draw closer. She had no idea what he would do yet but her gut and experience told her to be on her guard. She didn't see the flash of the weapon he held until it was flying towards her. She had just enough time to put her hand up to protect her face._

_She knew her wrist was broken, possibly shattered, the second the hammer connected with it though shock prevented her from feeling any pain yet. It wouldn't matter when she did because she had learned better than to scream._

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_"Are you sure you're ready to do this?"_

_"Yes."_

_"It's a month early Chloe. If you go now, there's no coming back from this. You will spend the rest of your life hiding."_

_"I've already spent my entire life hiding. I can't do this anymore. He's only gotten worse since we moved away from Florida. I don't have the luxury of time."_

_"But…"_

_"He broke my wrist Bree! I know the risk. I've thought long and hard about this. But the risk is even greater if I stay."_

_Bree hugged her and handed her the backpack she had been holding for her. "Tell no one who you are. And run like hell."_

_With that Chloe stepped on the bus that would take her to Baltimore._

-------------------------------------------------------------------

"What did I tell you?!" Arizona tossed the newspaper in front of Jason. He was sitting across from her at her desk.

He barely glanced at the article before pushing it away.

Arizona's eyes widened in understanding. "You knew?"

Jason stared at her blankly. He knew he would have to chose his words carefully here; Arizona seemed really upset.

"Answer me!"

Jason frowned. "Yes, I knew."

"She lied to you. She lied to me. She lied to everyone. How are you okay with this?"

"She was honest with me. As soon as this article surfaced and Callie found it, she explained everything. It's not what you think."

Arizona shook her head. "How could you trust her? How could you believe anything she told you?"

Jason breathed deeply. "You have been looking for some reason to despise her from the start. Is it because I care about her? Is that why you're acting this way? You have no reason..."

"I have every reason!" Arizona stood. She glared at Jason who glared back. She paced the room, a hand on her forehead. She hated shouting, she hated fighting, she hated being angry. How was everything falling apart? Callie was lying to her. Jason, her family, had betrayed her. Everything had been so perfect a week ago. What had happened?

She whirled on Jason. "You are restricted to normal visiting hours."

"WHAT?" He stood, stepping toe to toe with her. "You can't do this! You're not my mother!"

"But I am her doctor and I am restricting you to visiting hours only. And if I catch you in her room after hours, I will have you barred from the floor. Is that clear?"

Jason knew he had no power to argue here. He had lost this battle. But this wasn't over. He would talk to Callie; they would figure something out. Maybe he could get her to talk Arizona out of it. "Fine. But as soon as this goes down, consider me gone, for good."

Arizona felt as if her heart was breaking.

------------------------------------------------------------

"Dr. Robbins, can I speak with you?" Callie grabbed Arizona's arm and pulled her towards the nearest empty room.

"I'm really busy Dr. Torres."

Callie shut the door behind them. "Did you call Senator Hanley yet?"

Arizona set her jaw. "Calliope, that's none of your business."

"Who's not trusting who now?"

Arizona tensed. "Fine. Yes."

Callie nodded. "I hope you realize the consequences of the decision you just made." She strode past Arizona and out the door.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Callie smiled at the nurse as she exited Elizabeth's room.

"How are you feeling?" She asked it only for the nurse's benefit. The second she was out of range Callie leaned in. "Now listen carefully. Your father is on a plane from DC. It will be here at about 5AM. I need you to tell me something. Were you abused? Your injuries, did you get them before you left DC?"

Elizabeth nodded, tears in her eyes. "You can't let me go back there." Her voice was barely above a whisper, a desperate plea.

Callie nodded and swallowed hard. Knowing the truth in your gut and actually hearing it were two very different things.

She leaned down closer to Elizabeth, her mouth inches from the girl's ear. "I'm getting you out of here before that flight lands. I won't let you go back there, I promise."


	11. The Great Escape

DISCLAIMER:: still not mine

A/N:: for those of you wondering when dr. hahn is set to make her appearance, it will be next chapter. this chapter might be a little hard to understand in regards to elizabeth/chloe wanting to keep the violence a secret. to a normal person, it is rather hard to comprehend why someone would want to keep such a thing under wraps. but victims of domestic violence more often than not still feel love towards their abuser. in elizabeth's case, she knows what it would do to her father's career if the truth came out. so even though she wants to remove herself from the situation to be safe, she still feels a need to hide the truth. understanding her reasons is crucial to the story.

--------------------------------------------------------

_Throw it away, forget yesterday_

_We'll make the great escape_

_We won't hear a word they say_

_They don't know us anyway_

--------------------------------------------------------

Callie spent the rest of the day pondering how to transport a patient successfully out of the hospital without being noticed. It was going to be very risky. She would not only be putting her career on the line, but she was risking criminal charges. She had hoped some sort of hair brained scheme would magically come to her, but none graced her with their presence. She longed to ask someone, anyone, what to do, but she knew she couldn't involve anyone more than necessary.

Any plan she made was complicated by the fact that, due to their earlier fight, Arizona had decided to stay overnight in preparation for the Senator's arrival the next morning. Anything Callie did would have to be right under her nose.

She had begged and pleaded with the teenager to let her explain the truth to Arizona, but the girl had respectfully declined each time. The damage was done. Telling Arizona now wouldn't stop her father from coming, from bringing her sisters and her brother, and the news cameras. Callie had objected, saying that Arizona would know how to protect her, with minimal confrontation. She insisted that everyone should know the truth about Elizabeth's father. But Elizabeth would hear nothing of it. She was still against the idea of publicly exposing the truth. It would ruin her father's political career, and she didn't want that. As much as his actions hurt her, he was still family. Callie felt like telling Arizona anyway, but breaking Elizabeth's trust was not something she wanted to do. She was sure it was a hard thing to come by.

Finally, a few hours after nightfall, she decided on a course of action. It was risky and relied on all parts going perfectly. But if they did, they all might just make it out of this none the worse for wear.

-------------------------------------------------------

"He's going back to Boston?" Elizabeth looked slightly disheartened.

Callie nodded. "It's necessary. We have to confuse everyone. We need to throw them off your trail. Jason's sudden, middle-of-the-night departure back to Boston will arouse suspicion. When they check the flight roster they will discover an extra ticket, purchased last minute, in your name. That will buy us some time. They will assume Jason left with you. I'll be with Arizona when she discovers you're gone, so that will take the suspicion off myself, at least for the time being. That will allow you and I time to get away and to decide our next course of action."

"So I'm never gonna see him again?" Elizabeth looked as if she might reject Callie's plan.

Callie sighed. "I can't promise anything for sure, but I do promise that I will try and make sure you do see him again. But until the heat is off of him, you have no chance of getting anywhere near him, of even contacting him until this blows over. They will be watching his every move, waiting."

Elizabeth stared off into the distance for some time. Callie knew the girl wasn't too keen on her plan, especially the fact that it involved more running, more hiding, and no contact with someone she'd grown increasingly fond of.

Finally, Elizabeth turned her attention back to Callie and nodded. "Tell me what I need to do."

---------------------------------------------------------

"She's been complaining of pain for over an hour." The night nurse looked overly stressed, the product of working an entire wing with only one other nurse until the next nurse came in at 12.

Callie nodded as if she were really listening. Instead she was preparing herself for the next hour. It was crucial. It would make or break Elizabeth's escape. She followed the nurse into Elizabeth's room. The girl was pretending to nurse her arm as if it were troubling her. Callie walked over and examined her healing wrist. "I'm going to need to take her down for another x-ray. It looks as if it might not be setting correctly."

The nurse nodded, looking relieved. "I'll call down to radiology. Would you like me to take her down?"

Callie shook her head. "No. I need to go down that direction anyway."

The nurse nodded and went to make the call. She bent close to Elizabeth. "Are you ready?"

Elizabeth nodded.

Callie turned off the drip on her IV and unscrewed the tube from the needle. She knew she wouldn't be reattaching them again, but still she wrapped the tube around the pole holding the bag, keeping up the charade. She helped Elizabeth into the wheelchair the nurse had rolled in. She then pulled out a fresh hospital blanket and draped it across Elizabeth's lap.

She wheeled her straight to the elevator. The door pinged open and they entered. As soon as the doors slid closed behind them, Callie snapped into action. Elizabeth held up her undamaged hand and Callie pressed gauze over her needle site, withdrawing the thick IV needle. She taped down the gauze and slipped the dirty needle into a biohazard bag, tucking it in the pocket of her lab coat so she could dispose of it properly later.

The doors sprang open and they exited. The x-ray was quick. It was unnecessary; her wrist was actually healing beautifully. However, if they were going to take the suspicion off Callie as much as possible, it was something they would have to do.

Once they were back in the elevator, neither was surprised to find themselves in the company of someone else. Jason looked nervous but certain.

"Are you feeling okay?"

Elizabeth smiled at him fondly. "I'm doing good. A little scared, but the adrenaline is pumping."

Jason nodded and handed her some fresh clothes. She tucked them under the blanket lying across her lap, disguising the lump enough that the nurse wouldn't notice. The doors sprang open a floor below peds.

"You know what to do."

Jason nodded and exited the elevator.

The doors closed again and Callie and Elizabeth headed back up to peds. The second they were in sight the nurse ran to take the wheelchair from Callie. Callie sacrificed it without complaint, all part of the show.

The nurse had just pushed Elizabeth into her room when Jason emerged from the stairs.

"You know you're not supposed to be here Jason. Nurse!"

The nurse came running at Callie's call.

Callie gestured to Jason, who looked as if he were a deer caught in the headlights. "Please escort Jason here down to the lobby. Dr. Robbins told him he wasn't allowed to see Elizabeth until visiting hours."

The nurse gestured to the phone. "I could call security."

"No. I'm just going to let him off with a warning. I'll watch things here."

The nurse seemed reluctant to go, but finally nodded. She and Jason walked down the hall and disappeared into the elevator when it opened.

Callie walked back to Elizabeth's room, relieved when she realized the nurse had allowed Elizabeth to climb into bed herself. Not that she had stayed there of course. She was currently changed into a plain long sleeved t-shirt and jeans.

"You won't have long. When the new shift comes in they'll do rounds again. You'll meet Jason in the lobby. He's going to take you to the bus. I'll try and stall things here for as long as I can, but I'll only buy you an hour at the very most."

Elizabeth nodded. She looked at Callie and smiled, running forward and throwing her arms around the doctor, hugging her hard.

Callie smiled. "Here. These are for you." She handed Elizabeth a small prescription bottle. "In a couple hours your latest dose of morphine will wear off. This will take the edge off the pain. It's not morphine, but it's the best I could get on short notice, without an explanation."

Elizabeth took the bottle. "Thank you."

Callie nodded. She had never been good at goodbyes, but then again, who ever really was. "No problem."

"So, I'll see you soon right?"

"Yeah. I put directions to your destination and some extra cash in your backpack, which Jason has waiting for you. You won't get there until the evening, but once you're there, you should be safe. I'll be there as soon as I clear everything up here."

Elizabeth nodded. "See you tonight." She snuck past Callie and to the back stairwell, opening the door and slipping in.

Callie turned off the light and left, heading straight to the elevators and then to the Chief's office.

-------------------------------------------------------

Callie knocked lightly on the door to Arizona's office less than fifteen minutes later.

"Come in" was the clipped reply she received.

Callie opened the door and stepped in, closing it behind her.

"Dr. Torres, I'm busy."

"This will only take a second." Callie was painfully aware that Arizona wouldn't look up at her. She just sat there, eyes burning into the cherry finish of her desk, hands clasped tightly in front of her.

She didn't acknowledge Callie's statement, but she didn't object either, so Callie continued. She walked forward and perched herself on the edge of the desk. "I thought you should be the first to know that I just handed in my resignation."

Arizona felt her mouth go dry, her knees go weak, and her stomach turn, but miraculously she remained composed. "Why? Why would you do that?"

Callie sighed. "I got a job offer in San Francisco."

Arizona raised her eyebrows. "And you took it?"

Callie nodded. "I leave later this morning. I know I have some clothes over at your place; you can just throw them out."

Arizona shook her head, still unbelieving. "What about your friends? What about me?"

Callie stood. "You're not going to guilt me out of this!" She realized how harsh she sounded and let her demeanor soften. "I'm sorry."

Arizona got up and walked around the desk, coming to a standstill in front of Callie. She stared into her eyes for several minutes without a word. Callie shifted uneasily, intimidated by the sudden silence. Finally Arizona nodded sadly. "Okay."

Callie frowned. "Okay?"

Arizona nodded. "Okay. I love you Calliope. If this is what you want, then I want it for you. Go take that job in San Francisco. Be Happy."

Callie's resolve, her determination, it all broke in that instant. Arizona deserved the truth. "Arizona, there's something I need to…"

There was a knock on the door. A nurse popped her head in. "Excuse me Dr. Robbins, sorry to interrupt, but Chloe Hanley is not in her room."

Arizona stiffened. "What?"

"That's impossible. I just brought her back from x-ray about a half hour ago." Callie shook her head, fake dibelief filling her tone.

"She must have snuck out after you returned her to her room."

Arizona was turning a deeper shade of crimson each passing moment as the anger welled in her. "Or somebody helped her. Inform security, tell them to search the building top to bottom, and see if they can't locate my nephew as well. We have to find her; Senator Hanley will be here in less than five hours."

The nurse nodded and rushed off to do what she'd asked.

Arizona rubbed her temples and looked as if she might cry. "This cannot be happening."

Callie pulled her into a hug. "It's okay. They probably just ran off to some empty room to make out or something. They're going to find her." She felt bad about lying, but at this point, it was a necessary evil.

Arizona buried her face in Callie's shoulder. "Stay."

----------------------------------------------------------

"What are you thinking Torres?" Mark strode up to Callie, anger on his features.

"I don't have time for this Mark." Callie stepped around the plastic surgeon and tried to continue walking down the hallway.

Mark just stepped in front of her again. "Robbins just paged me, hysterical, rambling about how you resigned to take some job in San Francisco. Please tell me I misunderstood."

Callie tried to move around him again, but he blocked her attempt. She sighed. "You understood perfectly. May I go now? I need to find that girl."

"No, not until you tell me why."

"Why what?"

"Why now? You got something good here Callie. Robbins loves you and you love her."

"She'll get past this."

Mark put firm hands on her shoulders. "Maybe, but maybe not. Can you live with that?"

"Leaving?"

"With knowing you did the exact same thing to her that Erica did to you."

Callie pulled away from his touch as if he'd burned her and shook her head, disgusted that he'd stooped so low. She pushed past him and down the hall.

-----------------------------------------------------

Jason opened the passenger and helped Elizabeth out of the front seat. She had been steadily getting paler with each mile they'd travelled. He looked at the ominous row of buses idling in the station lot. One of them would be carrying Elizabeth to San Francisco. Sudden nervousness washed over him and he didn't feel as if Callie's idea was such a good one after all. Elizabeth shouldn't be alone. What would happen when the morphine wore off? She was risking getting an infection, and that close to her heart...

"Don't tell me you're getting cold feet." Elizabeth tried for a light playful tone, but she could see he wasn't buying it.

"Are you sure you can handle this? The last dose of morphine is gonna be wearing off within the hour… your incision…"

Elizabeth put a hand to his cheek. "Don't worry. I can make it to San Francisco. Once I get there…" She realized she had no idea what was in store for her once she got to the seaside city. She just had a name and an address, that was it. She was putting her well being in the hands of a name and an address written hastily on a torn off piece of Callie's prescription pad. "I'm gonna be fine." She looked back at the buses, and saw that hers was starting to board. "Well, that's me."

"Yeah, I better get going or I'll miss my plane."

"Are you sure you'll be able to handle the cops when they come looking for me?"

"I'll be fine. There'll be nothing for them to find."

Elizabeth nodded. It was the moment she'd been dreading. "Goodbye Jason."

He smiled but his eyes betrayed the sadness he was feeling inside. "Goodbye Elizabeth."

She grabbed her duffel and backpack when he held them out to her and headed to the bus. She handed her bag to the driver and he pushed with all the others into the bowel of the bus. As she ascended the stairs, she looked back. Jason raised a hand in farewell.

She waved quickly and turned, hoping he couldn't see her tears.

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"Bayside General, Cardio Department, Gina speaking, how may I direct your call?"

"May I please speak with Dr. Erica Hahn? It's urgent."

"Hold please."

Callie waited in silence, her nerves eating away at her stomach with each passing moment of silence. She almost jumped when the woman returned to the line.

"Dr. Hahn is in surgery, may I take a message?"

"Oh, yeah, um, sure. Can you just tell her Dr. Callie Torres called? I'm an old co-worker of hers from Seattle. I just needed some advice about a patient."

"May I take down a number where she can reach you?"

"Oh, I will be unreachable for the next few hours. Tell her I'll call back around 7pm. Thank you."

"Have a nice day Dr. Torres."


	12. Maybe I Won't Look Back

DISCLAIMER:: still not mine

A/N:: arizona is just going on the backburner for a while, but don't worry, that wasn't how their story's gonna end. and in regards to the PM i recieved, don't worry, all will be explained in due time. there was motivation behind Callie's sudden and unnecessary departure from Seattle Grace. is it permanent? that's left to be seen.

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_On those days I could have said something_

_In those times when I was needed, I was busy_

_Was it worth it? No, I don't think so_

_Cause now I see the moment is gone_

_Maybe I won't look back_

_In some way I could have done something_

_A thoughtful word, a simple smile, I was selfish_

_But if I change my heart today, tomorrow, it might be okay_

_Maybe I won't look back_

-----------------------------------------------------

Erica Hahn had devoted the six months after she'd left Seattle to getting her life back to where it had been before any of this. Before she had transferred from Seattle Presbyterian to Seattle Grace. Before she had asked Sloan and Torres out for a drink. Before she had become Callie's best friend. Before she'd fallen for the girl.

But she knew she'd never be able to return things to normal. How could things be as they were before when she herself had changed? So her only option had been to start over, somewhere she could give it a fresh go round. She had hardly considered San Francisco the place to start over. California wasn't really her scene. She would have much preferred New York, but she couldn't bring herself to completely leave the west coast. She tried to convince herself that that had nothing at all to do with Callie Torres and everything to do with the fact that she had just gotten used to being located on the western half of the country, that she was more comfortable there.

Adjusting to life at Bayside General had been rather difficult. It was nothing like Seattle. The hospital was four times the size of Seattle Grace, but not as well thought out. The hallways were a maze and one could easily get lost without a proper understanding of the twisted layout. Once you got past the fancy lobby it was a mess of unmarked doors and narrow staircases. But there was always an emergency to be had and they paid well.

Erica knew she'd be lying if she said she didn't get a certain amount of satisfaction from being the most well known doctor at the hospital. All the other attendings respected her from the start, as she thought they should.

All in all, it wasn't a bad way to live. And as much as Erica missed Seattle, she knew going back wasn't an option. It never would be. Even if San Francisco didn't work out; she would have to pick somewhere else. There was no way she could return and face everything she'd turned her back on.

Plus, she had made a life here. It wasn't the life she'd always dreamed she'd have, but it was acceptable. She had bought a house close to the ocean, a Victorian, as was pretty much one's only option when living in the city. She had set hours that let her be home at a decent hour most nights.

There was only one thing missing. But Erica Hahn was too proud to admit what that thing was. Even to herself.

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"Dr. Hahn."

Erica whirled around, coming face to face with the head of neuro, Danielle Troy. She was tall, with long brown curls and dark green eyes. Erica had been instantly drawn to her, and was shocked that friendship had been rather easy for them to obtain. She found that Dr. Troy's shy sweetness balanced out her bold ferocity and they often found themselves playing good cop/bad cop with the interns and residents.

"Dr. Troy."

"I need you for a consult." Dr. Troy was using her all business tone.

"Can you get Dr. Taylor to do it? I'm due in surgery in twenty five minutes and I still have to check on one of my post-ops."

Dr. Troy raised an eyebrow. She said nothing, but she didn't have to. Erica saw it all in her glare. She wasn't allowed to say no to this.

Erica sighed. "Lead the way."

Dr. Troy smiled smugly and turned on her heels, leading the way through a maze of corridors with an ease only acquired through years of practice. She stopped in front of an unmarked door, opened it, let Erica walk inside and then closed the door behind them.

Erica glanced around the room. "I don't see a patient."

Danielle smiled. "It's not that kind of consult." She grabbed Erica's white coat and pulled her closer, bringing their lips together in a slow, lingering kiss.

Erica put her hands on the brunette's shoulders and pushed her back softly. "I'm at work."

Danielle shrugged, playfully fingering the hem of the blonde's scrub top. "So am I."

Erica shook her head in objection, but smiled. "I have surgery in twenty minutes."

Danielle smiled. She could tell by the resigned tone of Erica's voice that she would meet no more resistance. She would get her way. She leaned in close again. "Plenty of time."

-------------------------------------------------------------

Callie was tired of driving. She'd been driving all day. She'd left Seattle an hour before the Senator's plane was scheduled to land. She didn't trust herself to play nice if she was face to face with the bastard. They hadn't been able to find Jason or Elizabeth in the hospital, as Callie had already known they wouldn't. Elizabeth was already on her way to San Francisco and Jason was probably just taking off, on his plane back to Boston. The plan was already in full motion.

Arizona and she had spent her last hour in Seattle together, the ortho surgeon holding and consoling the peds surgeon. Callie's hardest sacrifice was not her job, but her relationship. Arizona had only done what she thought was right and now she was being punished for it. It was something Callie knew she was likely to regret for a very long time.

She took heart in the fact that she was heading to Erica. Erica Hahn was her destination. She wasn't sure if that was going to go over well with the heart surgeon, but she knew Erica would agree to keep Elizabeth safe, just as long as Callie could convince her to listen long enough to explain what was going on. And she'd get to see her. She'd get to see Erica. Maybe leaving hadn't been such a bad idea after all.

----------------------------------------------------

"Do you want to go down to Market Street, get a coffee with me, or are you going to go straight off to work?" Danielle came into the kitchen, fully dressed and ready to go. She was big on her morning coffee and despite the fact that the nearest Starbucks, of which there was an inconceivable amount, was a ten minute walk away, she always insisted on taking a forty five minute bus ride and then a twenty minute trolley ride down to Market Street just to get it there, every single morning. Erica was sure she would never understand the difference of a Geary Street Starbucks and a Market Street Starbucks, but for some reason it was substantial.

Erica looked over her shoulder from where she was standing by the kitchen sink. "Good morning to you too."

Danielle smiled. "So that's a yes then?"

Erica rolled her eyes. "Sure, why not?"

An hour and a half later they were standing in an unbelievably long line at one of the seven Starbucks between Powell and Montgomery on Market. Danielle was browsing an issue of the Chronicle that she had snagged on the way over.

"Why do you insist on coming here, to a downtown coffee shop, right at the beginning of the business day?" Erica glanced at the ten billion downtown employees standing between them and the counter.

Danielle ignored her question/complaint, as she always did, and focused on the article she was reading. "That's so sad."

Erica raised an eyebrow. "What is?"

Danielle frowned. "Listen to this. Senator Hanley broke up yesterday at a press conference regarding his missing teenage daughter. Seventeen year old Chloe Hanley went missing the day after her graduation while walking home from a friend's house. Witnesses said they saw the girl abducted by an unidentifiable woman in the residential neighborhood where she lives. Little progress was made in the investigation until a week ago when Travis Sway, a resident Of Nashville, Tennessee, came forward claiming to have seen a girl matching the missing teenagers description. Senator Richard Hanley held a press conference in Washington yesterday to answer media questions regarding his daughter's disappearance. When asked if he thought the abduction had anything to do with his political aspirations, he calmly answered, 'There is no way to know what was going through the minds of the individuals responsible for this. Anything is possible. But reason tells me that if there had been some hidden political agenda or ransom desired, Chloe's kidnappers would have made an effort to contact me in the month since her disappearance.' However, his placid demeanor broke when one reporter asked if he had considered the possibility that his daughter might already be dead."

Erica didn't hear the rest. She didn't want to. She blocked out Danielle's voice, as the neurosurgeon continued to read. Once she was finished, she glanced at Erica. "Are you okay? You look a little pale."

Erica shook her head. "It's so sad. That girl has her whole life ahead of her and she might already be…" She trailed off, unable to utter the word. She saw so much of death in her profession; it was inevitable. People got sick, they had accidents. That was a fact of life. And Erica understood facts of life. She accepted facts of life. But a healthy girl, taken against her will, having no choice regarding what would happen to her. That was a tragedy Erica would never understand.

Danielle rolled the paper up and tucked it under her arm so she didn't have to see the picture of the blonde girl staring happily back at her. "I hope someone finds her."

Erica nodded. "I'm sure they will. She's out there somewhere."


	13. Just Let Me Cry

DISCLAIMER:: not mine. belongs to abc studios and shonda

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_I don't use excuses, don't ask why_

_It's just a breakdown; it happens all the time_

_So get out of my face, don't even try_

_You wanna help me?_

_Just let me cry_

---------------------------------------------

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeeeep.

"I'm sorry Mr. Hauder, Mrs. Hauder. We were unable to successfully extract the bullet before the damage to your daughter's heart became irreparable…."

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeeeep.

"There was too much blockage in your father's artery to repair it before his heart gave out."

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeeeep.

"We were able to successfully transplant a new heart into Lisa, but while in recovery her body rejected the new organ. I'm so sorry Ivan."

------------------------------------------------------------

"You look…"

"Don't." Erica held up a finger in warning, cutting Danielle off midsentence.

"Erica, you need to calm down. Don't snap at me, please. I'm here to help."

"Help?" Erica looked up at Danielle with dark amusement in her eyes. She laughed dryly. "Are you going to bring them back? Three patients died today, on my watch. So forgive me if I'm not exactly open to being social right now."

"Fine. You don't want to talk about it, then we don't have to talk about it." Danielle raised her hands in defeat. "I'll be in my office if you change your mind." She backed away to the door. "By the way, there was a call for you earlier, while you were in surgery. Gina thought it best not to page you even though the caller said it was urgent."

"Who was it?" Erica tried not to sound as relieved as she felt. Even if she failed in saving the lives of her patients anyway, she would have beaten herself up far worse if she had paused to take the call.

Danielle shrugged. "A Dr. Torres from Seattle. Anyone you know?"

Erica froze. She hadn't heard that name outside of her own thoughts for over five months now. Not once since the day she'd left Seattle. Could Callie have somehow found her? Why was she calling now? If she had known all along where Erica was, why now? Why five months later?

"Erica, are you okay? You look a little pale."

"I'm… I'm fine."

"Gina got off about an hour ago, but she left your messages with Karen."

Relief and disappointment flooded through Erica. Disappointment that she'd missed her call and relief for the same reason. She was dying to hear Callie's voice, even if she couldn't admit it, but what would she say if she had her on the phone? Sorry seemed too feeble. She could tell her how much she missed her but that might be crossing a line. She had no idea how Callie felt towards her now. No, it was definitely better that she'd missed the call.

"Erica?"

"Hmm?" The blonde looked up, slightly surprised to find Danielle staring at her with her head tilted questioningly to the side. She had forgotten the brunette was still there.

"I'm okay, I swear."

Danielle looked unconvinced. "Okay, I trust you." She reached for the door. "I'll be in surgery until eight, but what do you say you and I grab a late dinner?"

Erica nodded, already back off in her thoughts. "Sounds great."

Danielle smiled and shook her head. "I'll meet you in the lobby at 8:30 okay?"

Erica just nodded in response, too caught up in long suppressed thoughts of Callie.

---------------------------------------------------------

"What do we say to him?" Arizona looked sideways at Richard Webber. They were standing calmly in front of the main entrance to Seattle Grace in the pre-dawn gloom waiting for the limo.

Richard Webber had his usual straight mouthed glare that somehow always seemed to look disapproving. In this particular case however, disapproval was exactly what he felt. "We will take him to my office and tell him the truth Dr. Robbins."

"I don't think he's going to like that very much."

"No, I'm sure he won't"

Just then a long black vehicle slid into the parking lot, silencing all conversation. The driver pulled to a stop in the passenger unloading zone and got out, rushing around to open the door. He helped out a young woman in her late twenties with dark brown hair. She was tall and slender. Behind her followed a young man in his mid twenties with platinum blonde hair and behind him came Senator Hanley.

He gave the driver a slight nod and then led the way forward, toward the two waiting doctors. A man silently exited from the passenger side of the cab and followed.

"Senator Hanley, I'm Richard Webber, Chief of Surgery here at Seattle Grace and this is Dr. Arizona Robbins, head of pediatric surgery. She worked on your daughter."

The senator shook both their hands in turn. "Richard Hanley. Very nice to meet you both and thank you for standing out here in the cold to welcome me. I would have waited until a more decent hour to come, but I am quite eager to see my daughter, I hope you understand. This is my daughter Bree and my son Richie." He didn't mention the name of his guard and the two doctors didn't ask.

Dr. Webber shook their hands, as did Arizona.

The woman looked up at the hospital, a concentrated frown on her face.

"Now that we've concluded the formal pleasantries, I'd like to see my daughter. I trust she's well."

"I was hoping we could speak to you in my office first, tell you the details of your daughter's condition when she came to our hospital."

"I don't mean to be rude Dr. Webber, but there will be plenty of time for that later. I'd like to see my daughter."

"You can't." Everyone's gaze shifted in surprise to Bree.

"And why is that?" Senator Hanley turned to his daughter.

"Because she's not here." And to the shock of everyone, she grinned.

------------------------------------------------------------

Elizabeth kept her eyes glued out the window, trying to ignore the empty seat beside her. The bus wasn't crowded, due to the late hour they had set out. It made good time all through the morning and they were scheduled to come into San Francisco half past six.

She didn't know who this Erica Hahn was that she was supposed to find, but Callie had said that she could trust her. She wasn't so sure, but she had no choice but to give this woman the benefit of the doubt. She just hoped she wasn't setting herself up to be burned.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Erica strolled casually up to Karen. "Any messages for me?"

Karen raised an eyebrow in thought. Finally remembrance graced her features. "As a matter of fact, there are." She dug through a stack of message slips, eventually extracting a small pile of three or four slips from the middle of the stack. She handed them to Erica.

The blonde flipped through each as she scanned them thoughtlessly until she came to the last one, the one she was looking for.

Karen nosily looked at the slip Erica was reading. "Gina said she was a really sweet gal. She said she was one of your old co-workers."

Erica glanced at Karen and then back to the slip. It didn't say much. Just that Callie's name and where she was calling from. It mentioned that she was Erica's old co-worker, everything she already knew. But she saw no number, or any way to get back to her.

"Did she leave a number to call her back?" Erica was slightly disgusted at the blatant hope in her voice.

Karen shrugged. "Gina said she didn't leave one, said she was going to be unreachable."

Erica frowned deeply, a fact that was not lost on Karen, so she continued. "But she's gonna call back around seven."

"Thanks." Erica tucked the rest of her messages into her pocket and walked away, hoping the three hours until seven went by fast.

----------------------------------------------------------

Callie felt her eyes growing heavy. She had been driving for hours. She knew she should pull over at the next motel and get a room. She wouldn't be in San Francisco until midnight at the earliest, and that was if she made wonderful time. But something inside of her wouldn't let her stop. She watched as the exit she should have taken to get to the relief of a bed raced past her. She had another forty miles to the next town and the next opportunity to stop. But that's how it had been since Olympia. She'd tell herself she was going to take the next exit, and then at the last minute she'd change her mind and shoot past it, deciding she could push herself to make it to the next town. And she knew she wasn't going to stop before she got to her destination. She had to get to San Francisco, to Erica.


	14. Build Me Up Buttercup

_Why do you build me up buttercup, baby_

_Just to let me down and mess me around_

_And then worst of all you never call, baby_

_When you say you will, but I love you still_

_I need you more than anyone darlin'_

_You know that I have from the start_

_So build me up, buttercup, don't break my heart_

-----------------------------------------------

Seven came and seven went. Erica waited patiently in her office for the call. No one disturbed her, they knew better than that. She just stared at the phone contemplating how to answer when the nurses put the call through as she had ordered them to do. Should she admit to Callie that she had spent the last six months missing a piece of herself, a piece only Callie could fill. Or should she try and convince the girl she left behind that she had done exactly what she had planned to do and moved on. Somehow neither option seemed very appealing.

She was so focused on the phone that she nearly jumped out of her seat when a hand touched her shoulder. She looked up into the wide eyes of Danielle, who was already dressed in her street clothes.

"Erica, have you been in here this whole time?" Danielle shifted her purse up on her shoulder as she straightened her back. "We were supposed to meet in the lobby at 8:30. Dinner, remember?"

Realization dawned on Erica's face. "What time is it?" Danielle didn't need to answer, for as she asked the question her eyes slid to the clock. It read five to nine. She rubbed a hand across her tired face. "I'm sorry." She felt as if she had aged ten years in a matter of seconds; she was so exhausted.

"Erica…"

Erica looked at Danielle, her eyes silently begging the brunette not to ask, but Danielle ignored her wordless request.

"What's going on? You've been acting… off ever since I told you about that phone call. Is everything okay?"

Erica gazed at her phone. It had been two hours and still no word from Callie. She wasn't going to call. Erica had been stupid to think she still cared. It had probably been a business call. Richard had probably given Callie the duty of calling her, much--- she was now convinced--- to Callie's dismay. That was it. Her heart sank. Suddenly she felt like nothing more than going home and curling up in bed.

"Do you mind if I take a raincheck on dinner?"

Danielle sighed. "You know what I like about you Erica? The real reason I started dating you?"

Erica looked up in surprise. She had not expected that particular question. She shook her head.

"Because despite the fact that you have baggage--- cause let's face it, everyone does--- you refused to let yours burden you. I could tell you were somebody who lived in the present . But today…" Danielle looked down at her feet, then looked back up, distance in her gaze. "Well, I was wrong. Today, I see that you live in the past, just like the rest of us." She shook her head.

Erica said nothing, not even when Danielle left with a slam of the door.

--------------------------------------------------

"So, where to lady?" The man behind the wheel was burly with tattoos peeking out of his shirt sleeves. He looked better suited for a bike, but Elizabeth wasn't about to get out and wait for the next cab. She was already behind schedule.

"16261 Pruitt Avenue, please." Elizabeth sighed and sank back into the seat as they pulled away from the entrance to the bus station. She had been anxious the whole ride, expecting cops or fbi agents or some other form of law enforcement to pull up beside the bus. Only now that she was in San Francisco, did she consider that Callie's plan probably worked. They were probably after Jason, ready to pounce when he landed in Boston.

"You sick?"

Elizabeth turned her attention back to her brawny chauffer. "Excuse me?"

"16261 Pruitt Avenue, that's the address of Bayside General."

"Oh." Elizabeth nodded. Figures Callie's friend would be in a hospital. "I'm just going to see… my aunt. She's a doctor there." Harmless lie. She hoped it was enough to shut him up.

No such luck. "My wife's a nurse there. What's your aunt's name? Maybe my wife's worked with her."

"Hahn. Erica Hahn."

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Elizabeth watched as people ran this way and that through the lobby, oblivious to the fact that she was there. Despite the fact that no one was giving her a second glance, she still felt too exposed. She pulled her zip up hoodie tighter around her thin frame and marched up to the directory on the west wall. There was a list of the entire hospital staff and their respective locations illuminated behind glass frames. She scrolled through the names until she came to _Dr. Erica Hahn M.D., Head of Cardiothorcics, 4__th__ Floor, East Wing. _

She took a deep breath and headed towards the hallway that housed the bank of main elevators.

--------------------------------------------------

Erica tossed her lab coat and scrubs into her locker and shut it. Her small upset over getting her hopes up, only to be let down, was knawing at her emotions. She would just grab her bag from her office and be on her way. Then she could go home and curl up in bed and forget the world. She left the door ajar and crossed to her desk. There she unlocked the bottom drawer and opened it, retrieving her purse from inside.

_Knock_. A slight rap came on the open door. Erica looked up. A girl stood there. 5'6" with long black hair. She was thin, looking almost as if she was about to cave in on herself. Her clothes were slightly too big for her and clung loosely. She had a combination of fear and determination written all over her face. Erica felt as if she recognized her, but she couldn't recall from where.

"Are you Erica Hahn?"

Erica nodded.

Relief washed over the girl's face, but the fear still remained, embedded in her eyes. "I made it." She sounded as if she was in utter disbelief. "Callie told me I would but I didn't believe her. I…"

"Callie sent you?" Every muscle in Erica's body froze.

The girl nodded, suddenly wary. "She told me she would call you after she put me on the bus this morning."

"I was in surgery. I missed her call. She didn't leave a number for me to reach her at. I thought about calling Seattle Grace, but she had told the nurse who took the call that she'd be unreachable."

"That's smart. If the cops knew she had been in contact with you, it would ruin the entire plan."

"Cops?!" Erica dropped her purse on the desk.

Elizabeth stepped in the office and closed the door. "Maybe I should, uh, start from the beginning."


	15. And Still

DISCLAIMER:: yeah, still not mine

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_And still_

_The world stood still_

_I couldn't move _

_And all I could feel_

_Was this aching in my heart_

_Saying I loved [her] still_

------------------------------------------------

It was just a couple hours before dawn before Callie got into the bay area. Even at the early hour, the highways were starting to fill with the downtown suits and interns heading into the city to start their long days of work. Callie's eyes were just able to stay open, and the relief was evident throughout her body once she'd cleared Berkeley and could see the tell-tale skyscrapers just across the way. The highway swung abruptly right and across the bay bridge. In less than an hour she'd be walking into the hospital where Erica Hahn now worked.

Her eyes shot open with a new burst of energy. She was going to see Erica. She was going to actually see her, talk to her, be close enough to touch her. What would she say? What _could_ she say? _Uh, hello Erica, long time no see. So, how's life been since you broke my heart and left without a word?_ Callie laughed. Oh yeah, that would go over well.

The sky was starting to lighten as she pulled into a highly overpriced parking garage and got out of the car. It was a couple blocks to the hospital and she wasn't sure she'd have the energy to walk it, especially not in a city famous for its steep streets, but the cold bite of the air, even in summer, woke her up just as good as any great cup of coffee could.

She walked up the steep climb of Sterger and hung a right on Pruitt. There it was. She stopped and took in the looming mass of Bayside General. It was huge to say the least. It stood at only six stories, but Callie could see that it stretched for nearly three blocks. It was the same dull of white that you generally see on hospitals, but it was clean and radiated a grandness that Callie respected.

She crossed the street and entered through the main doors. The lobby was just as grand. It looked more like the lobby of a museum than that of a hospital. Stairways extended up behind a huge fountain to open hallways with windows that looked out to atriums where patients could enjoy the outside air. There was a wall of glass cases that held awards and certificates, and another of glass frames that protected lists of names.

Callie walked to the lists. Erica's name seemed to jump back at her. _Dr. Erica Hahn M.D., Head of Cardiothoracics, 4__th__ Floor, East Wing._ It felt like a stab to her emotions. So, Erica was here, she had moved on. Callie felt her resolve break just a little. Maybe this plan hadn't been so brilliant after all.

She found herself drifting to the bank of elevators though each step brought even more uneasiness to her stomach. She reached to press the call button for the elevator only to have a woman's hand beat her to it. She looked over at an attractive brunette who reminded Callie vaguely of Addison in the way she carried herself. She had no doubt this woman worked here.

One of the six elevators dinged and sprung open, prompting them to enter. They both fell in and the woman reached for the buttons that commanded the elevator to its destination.

"What floor?" Her voice was liquid smooth.

"Four."

The woman pressed the four and stepped back into place beside Callie. Callie noted that she didn't press any other floor. She must be heading to the fourth too. She shrugged it off as coincidence. There were only six floors after all.

"Here to see a patient?"

Callie looked up. "What?"

"Well you don't look ill. Tired maybe, but not ill, not injured. So it's safe to assume you are not a patient. I've never seen you before, so I would also assume you are not an employee. That only leaves family member."

Callie smiled ruefully. "Not all ailments are quite so apparent. And are you really going to try and convince me that you know every single employee in a facility this big?"

The woman nodded. "Touché."

Callie turned back as the elevator dial clicked to four. "But you are half right. I'm not sick and I don't work here. But I am here to see my best friend; she works here."

The doors slid open and Callie walked out into a plain hallway. It stretched in either direction until both curved off into more unseen hallways. Doors and staircases led off to other rooms and floors of the hospital. Callie had to blink a couple times before her eyes could adjust to the architectural chaos.

"I'm convinced the man who thought up this place was on a serious acid trip at the time." The woman smiled.

"How am I ever supposed to find Erica's office in this mess?"

"Dr. Hahn? She's your best friend?"

Callie nodded, oblivious to the woman's change in tone. She was too busy examining a fire exit map, trying to make some sense of the mess of hallways from the lines on the map.

"I can take you to her office."

Callie looked up. "I'd appreciate it."

The woman nodded and led the way down the main hallway, turning off onto a consecutive hallway with no visible sign.

"How long have you known Dr. Hahn?"

Callie shrugged. "Not long really. We met a couple years ago when she helped out on a case at the hospital where I was working, but we became close when she came to work there too about a year ago."

"So you work at Seattle Grace right?"

Callie shook her head. "I did until yesterday."

The woman stopped. "You don't anymore?"

Callie raised an eyebrow. "No. I quit yesterday. Why?"

The woman shrugged. "No reason."

They twisted down a maze of halls until finally the woman stopped. "Here you are." She gestured to a closed door.

Callie stared at it. "Thanks. I never caught your name."

The woman gave her an unreadable gaze. "My name is Danielle Troy, Dr. Torres."

-------------------------------------------------

Erica closed the door to one of her three guest rooms, bathing the occupant in darkness. It had been a long night talk and she was exhausted. Elizabeth had passed out the second her head hit the pillow.

Elizabeth had refused to stay at the hospital, claiming she felt too exposed, so Erica had agreed to let her stay in her house. At least for a day or two, so she could rest. The story she had spent the last few hours telling Erica had left the cardiothoracic surgeon speechless. She found it hard to comprehend that Callie would help the girl escape. What was she thinking? Did she have a death wish? Kidnapping the Senator's daughter? It was crazy, even for Callie Torres.

She was eyeing her bedroom door longing when the doorbell rang. She looked at her watch. It was late, or very early. Her mind flashed to Danielle. Of course her girlfriend would choose to come here now, in the middle of the morning on the one day where she really couldn't deal with her.

She walked down the stairs and to the door, opening it, and nearly falling over in shock to see her blast from the past in the porch light.

"Callie, what… what are you doing here?" Erica felt herself race through every concievable emotion at the spped of light. Anger, hurt, relief, happiness, love, hate, annoyance, glee... every single one.

"I went to the hospital first, but you weren't there."

Erica frowned. "How'd you find me?"

"I brought her." Danielle Troy came up the porch steps to stand behind Callie.

"Dr. Troy…" Erica's tone leaked disapproval.

"You can drop the act Erica." Callie shifted uncomfortably. "I know she's your girlfriend."

Erica nodded and she too shifted awkwardly.

"Well, are you going to invite us in, or do we have to stand out here in the cold?" Danielle to her and Callie's shivering forms.

Erica stepped back. "Of course, come on in."

Danielle led Callie straight into the kitchen, Erica slowly following behind.

"So, Dr. Torres here tells me you two are the best of friends." Danielle sat down in one of the chairs around the kitchen table.

Erica nodded. "Callie was… is my best friend." She chanced a glance at the silent orthopedic surgeon. Callie wouldn't meet her eyes and she felt a deep ache.

Danielle followed the glance, she saw the pain in Erica's eyes; she saw that there was a story there and she was quick to guess what it was. "Oh, I see." She stood and headed out of the kitchen.

Erica stood and followed. "Danielle, wait."

Danielle went upstairs and straight into Erica's room. Erica followed.

"What's wrong?"

"Obviously there's something between you that's… unresolved." Danielle grabbed a suitcase from the closet and started tossing the clothes she kept at Erica's into it.

"She's my ex. We broke up six months ago. You don't have to leave."

Danielle smiled and crossed the room. "I see it in your eyes that you still care for her. You've been distant, and I've let it go because I knew you had a past in Seattle and I wanted to give you time to heal. I wasn't stupid enough to assume that your past wouldn't catch up with you. But now I see that maybe… we both knew this was never meant to be long term; we were just having a fling is all. Maybe you still have feelings for her, maybe you don't. Just think of this as an easy out. You're afraid of being alone, Erica." She smiled, leaning forward to kiss Erica's forehead. "I have a feeling you won't be."

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They came down together ten minutes later. "Thanks Danielle."

The brunette nodded. " You're gonna be okay now, Erica."

They clasped hands briefly, then Danielle left.

Erica watched her descend the front steps and then shut the door. She walked back to the kitchen where she found Callie, with her back to the door, nursing a cup of wine.

"I didn't mean to make your girlfriend leave."

Erica was silent for a moment. "It wasn't your fault she left. It was something we'd been dancing around for weeks now. It was just time."

"I'm sorry to barge in on you like this. I wasn't intending on bringing all this to your doorstep, but…"

"Callie…" Erica's tone was soft, gentle.

Callie set down her wine glass and turned to face Erica. It was a big mistake for her to move so fast. The weight of the past days caught up with her and she staggered. The room was spinning and she closed her eyes against it. She still felt as if her body was twirling and she couldn't stop it. Then arms caught her and held her. She felt a warmth she'd been missing for a long while.

"We need to get you to bed." Erica whispered softly into her ear.

Callie shook her head and attempted to straighten herself, using Erica's arms for support. When she dared to open her eyes, her world was lost in the depth of Erica's blue gaze, concerned clouding their azure hue. Her heart melted. She put a shakey hand to Erica's cheek and smiled, remembering the fervor with which she had flew here, to Erica. She remembered the reasons she had left Seattle, the reasons she had helped Elizabeth. She was about to open her move but another wave of dizziness took her and she fell against Erica again.

"Okay Torres, bedtime."

She shook her head. "There's so much I have to say…"

Erica held her tighter. "And we'll have tomorrow to say it."

Callie smiled and let Erica lead her out of the kitchen. _We'll_ have tomorrow.


	16. I Can't Hate You Anymore

DISCLAIMER:: still not mine

A/N:: this is probably one of my favorite chapters in the whole story. it really gives a little more insight into Erica and more importantly, Elizabeth.

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_We built it up to watch it fall_

_Like we meant nothing at all_

_I gave and gave the best of me_

_But couldn't give you what you need_

_You walked away, you stole my life_

_Just to find what you're looking for_

_But no matter how I try_

_I can't hate you anymore_

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Callie woke up to sunlight streaming through the window onto her tan face, a nice reminder that she was somewhere else besides Seattle. She sat up in an unfamiliar bed in a room she didn't recognize. She pushed the blankets off. She was wearing a long t-shirt though she had no recollection of how she got into it. The room was bright, though simply decorated.

She stood slowly, testing her legs to make sure they would hold her up. Thankfully they did and she walked around the bed to the door. She opened it slowly and cautiously, peeking out into the hall to find it vacant. She looked to the stairs at the end of the hall when she heard voices. They were drifting up from the first floor.

She walked to the top of the stairs and descended slowly, pausing halfway down to listen in.

"My mother used to teach me to cook before she got sick." The sound of Erica's voice warmed Callie.

"Yeah, mine too." Callie had never heard Elizabeth or Erica speak of their mothers. She knew it was a touchy subject for both of them.

"How old were you when your mom got sick?" Erica was easing gently, asking an indirect question first, her tone soft, the way only somebody who'd experienced the same thing could do.

"I was six."

"I was eleven." An answer for an answer. "With my mom it was slow. She fought really hard for a long time. My brothers and I just watched her deteriorate before our eyes."

"What did she have?" Elizabeth was now being gentle too.

"Cancer. It was pancreatic cancer. I remember going to the hospital with my father one day, and I was sitting on the floor of the doctor's office playing with this ratty old horse stuffed animal I took everywhere. He came in and sat down, spreading the results of my mother's tests in front of him and telling us she had a 2% chance of survival. They gave her four months at best. She made it four years, four very painful years."

There was a long break in conversation then. Callie was frozen on the stairs, waiting, afraid to move.

"It was very sudden, very quick. Sometimes I think its worse that we never saw it coming, sometimes I feel blessed. They were supposed to stop after my brother you know; I was a surprise. My oldest sister Natalie, my other sister Bree, and my brother Richie, they're all three years apart. I'm seven years younger than Richie. I was unplanned. My parents never fought; they loved each other. Life was the closest to perfect I think anyone can hope to get. Every Friday night we went out as a family to Jackby's, this local ice cream parlor that was family owned. On that Friday, Dad came downstairs and said mommy wasn't feeling well and wanted us to go have ice cream without her. We all thought nothing of it; there had been times when Natalie had been too sick to go, and me, and Bree, and Dad. Everyone gets sick. So we went without her. It was the last time I can remember that we were all happy." Elizabeth paused. "We didn't make it home fast enough to save her."

"Is that when this whole thing started?"

"Yeah. Something snapped in Ritchie that day. The night of the funeral he came after me with a knife, cut me wrist to elbow before Natalie came in and stopped him. I considered turning him in several times but… I never could do it. He's family, ya know, and family sticks together."

"How'd your wrist get broken?"

"Hammer."

Callie winced and her heart went out to this girl. No one should have to live their life in fear, especially of their own family.

"My father became very detached after my mother passed. He didn't drink, didn't yell, but he also didn't care. Parents… they should care. They… they should care. Sometimes… they don't."

"Yeah, sometimes they don't." Callie heard a deep sadness in Erica's voice and her arms ached to hold her. "So you blame your father?"

"Yes and no. I understand that in the beginning he hoped, just as we all did, that Richie would come to terms with his anger and his grief. And then, by the time he realized that hope was gone, he was already too deep into his political career. To expose that he'd let this go on for so long would have ruined his career. And how do you choose between your children?"

"It hurts when they don't choose you."

"Yeah, it does."

There was a long silence.

"Will you pass me the cinnamon?" Elizabeth's voice held no indication of the weight of the conversation she'd just had with Erica. Callie knew the conversation was over. She descended the rest of the steps and walked towards the kitchen door but stopped a few feet short when she heard Erica speak again.

"So, tell me about Jason."

"What about him?"

"Do you like him?"

"I think I may love him, crazy as that undoubtedly sounds."

"Last year I would have thought that sounded ridiculous, but I was in love with my best friend once."

"What happened?"

"I screwed up. I made one of the biggest mistakes I think I've ever made."

Callie could practically hear Elizabeth shrug. "So, fix it."

"Fix it? That's your grand piece of advice?"

Elizabeth laughed; it was a beautiful sound. "Yeah, it is. When things are wrong, you fix it."

"I wish I could."

Callie chose that moment to step into the doorway and lean against the frame. Erica and Elizabeth were still in their pajamas. They had their backs to the door and were talking animatedly as if they were mother and daughter. The sight sent a warmth through her that she had been missing.

Erica finally caught the movement and turned. "Good morning. Glad you could join the land of the living."

Callie had rarely seen Erica this bright eyed and smiling, at least not since the early days of their relationship. It warmed her inside. "You guys should have woke me."

Erica and Elizabeth exchanged an amused glance.

"What?" Callie felt like she was missing something.

Elizabeth smiled. "Believe me, we tried."

Callie shook her head. "Well I was gonna feel guilty for sleeping in, but it seems I wasn't missed."

"Elizabeth here was just giving me dating advice." Erica smiled at Elizabeth.

"I just think she needs to take a page from your book Callie."

"My book?" Callie was shocked.

"Her book?" Erica was even more shocked.

"Yeah, don't think I was too blind to notice how you had Dr. Robbins wrapped around your finger. She was falling all over you… until I ruined it." Elizabeth turned to Erica. "Pretty, but a little too…" Elizabeth put on a fake megawatt smile, "… for my taste."

Erica raised an eyebrow. "Really, Callie did perky?"

"Uh, standing right here."

Elizabeth stepped between Callie and Erica. "We made you breakfast Callie."

Callie smiled. "You guys didn't have to do that."

Erica laughed. "Actually, we kinda did. You certainly can't cook for yourself."

Callie frowned. "Not true."

Erica smiled. "Cal, you burned popcorn."

Callie frowned deeper. "So?"

"You're microwave had a popcorn button."

"How was I supposed to know that's what that button was for?"

"Because it said popcorn on it."

"Okay, so maybe I can't cook." She smiled sheepishly.

Erica grabbed her wrist. "Come sit down… we made bacon."

Callie perked right up. "Ooh bacon. Can't argue with that." She let Erica lead her to an empty seat.

--------------------------------------------------

They all made idle chat about fun, positive things, avoiding the meat of the conversation as long as possible. But eventually the inevitable presented itself.

"How long are you planning to hide?" Erica looked at Elizabeth.

"Not long. I turn eighteen day after tomorrow. Then I guess I'll leave the country. My dad can't drag me home once I'm a legal adult, even if he manages to find me." Elizabeth pushed a small chunk of blueberry pancake around in the syrup on her plate.

"And what are you planning to do?" Erica turned her glare on Callie.

Callie shrugged. "I'm not quite sure yet. Maybe turn myself in. Maybe go back to Miami. Who knows?"

--------------------------------------------------

"What was she thinking?" Arizona sat on the edge of her desk.

"I know Callie, you know Callie; she had a good reason for doing this." Mark was standing by the door.

"What could possibly be her reason?"

"Listen Robbins, Callie read that article and obviously believed enough that you shouldn't have called the Senator to quit her job because of it. There's obviously something going on beyond a girl running away from home."

"But what could I have missed? Certainly nothing medical."

"Did you question your nephew?"

"I think he's just a little tired of questions. After the authorities apprehended him at the airport, he told them he didn't know anything. He said that if Elizabeth left she left without his help."

"And you actually believed him?"

"No, not really. But I don't believe she went with him to Boston either. There's no way she have gotten off the plane without being seen. They were waiting right at the gate. Unless she got off at the layover in Chicago and stayed there." Arizona rubbed her temples. It had been only thirty hours since they'd discovered the Senator's daughter missing and she had already been sent through the mill and back by the Senator and the Chief. This was taking a major toll on her, not to mention the added weight of her girlfriend suddenly dumping her to run off to San Francisco.

"Just ask him. What have you got to lose?"

--------------------------------------------------

Erica stood in the entrance to the guest bedroom where Callie was staying. The brunette had retreated there after the breakfast convo had turned bad, not wanting to discuss her plans anymore. She was lying on the bed with her eyes closed and her fingers massaging holes into her temples.

"Are you really going to turn yourself in?"

Callie opened her eyes and sat up. "What?"

"I asked if you were serious about turning yourself in."

"I may not have a choice. If they find out I took her…"

"You could stay here, at least until it blows over."

Callie shook her head. "You and I both know this won't blow over until Elizabeth is found or someone is brought to justice."

Erica had no response for the truth. They were both just silent for a time.

"Are you gonna tell me about her Callie?"

Callie looked up, confused. "Who?"

"Dr. Robbins."

Callie raised an eyebrow. "Arizona?"

Erica's silence was her answer.

"Do you really want to know?" Callie asked warily.

"Of course I do Cal. We're friends. Tell me about your girlfriend." Erica walked over and sat next to Callie on the bed.

"She's sweet. Blonde hair, blue eyes. She smiles a lot; she teaches me to be more positive. She cares about every patient. On the downside she's stubborn, she always has to be right, she thinks she knows everything, and she doesn't believe in wine… or tequila."

"No!"

"I know, how is that even possible?" Callie chuckled. "But she'll come into the OR to watch my surgeries, just because she's never seen someone put a rod in a femur up close. She values honesty and I never doubt that she cares for me deeply. When I'm around her, I know I'm loved. It's a nice feeling."

Erica nodded. She was silent for quite some time.

"Do you love her?"

Callie smiled. "Of course I do."

Erica's breathing sputtered but she composed herself quickly. "Are you _in love_ with her Cal?"

Callie sighed and stood. "Somedays I think I might be. She saw me through a breakdown that was much worse than the one I had after George. I had lost my lover and my best friend and she came in a calmly put back the pieces with superglue and used glitter to hide the cracks." Callie tried to make her tone light and airy but the seriousness of the conversation leaked through.

Erica nodded. "Do you forgive me Callie?"

Callie knelt down in front of Erica so she could look up into the cardio surgeon's face. "You broke my heart, Erica Hahn, and then you abandoned me. Do I forgive you for that? As your ex-girlfriend, no, I don't forgive what you did to me. As your best friend, yes, I forgave you a long time ago. Friends, they have rough patches. We all go through them."

Erica nodded, but couldn't meet Callie's eyes. "I'm sorry Cal. I never meant to leave you. I missed you."

Callie smiled. She reached up and put a finger under Erica's chin, directing her gaze back to her. Her eyes travelled between Erica's eyes and her lips and back again. Her own lips tingled with the memories of Erica's mouth against hers.

Erica wasn't just thinking of Callie's kiss, but of everything. Of her smile, of her arms, of her body… everything about her and the way they were. She had run away from what had possibly been the best thing in her life. Her mind was scrambled except for her want, her need for Callie.

"It took me so long to get over you Erica." Callie read Erica's desire in her eyes perfectly. She knew if she stayed here too long, she'd give in to that desire. "I really did love you."

"But you don't anymore?"

Callie felt a mixture of relief and sadness when she saw the desire die down in Erica's gaze.

"No, Erica. I don't love you anymore."


	17. Stuck

DISCLAIMER:: not mine

A/N:: so, i just want to say before this chapter is read that i personally am still up in the air as to who callie is going to end up with. so don't take my chapters literally. this chapter for example implies that she's going to end up with erica. others, such as the last, have implied that she's going to end up with arizona. this story is about the internal war raging in callie over the love that left her behind and the new love she's found as a result. so this whole back and forth thing will happen until the last chapter, i gaurantee it. so, be patient, and keep that in mind.

--------------------------------------------

_I can't take it_

_What am I waiting for?_

_My heart's still breaking_

_I miss you even more_

_And I can't fake it_

_The way I could before_

_I hate you but I love you_

_I can't stop thinking of you_

_It's true_

_I'm stuck on you_

-------------------------------------------------

"You look tired." Bree Hanley fell into the seat across the desk from Arizona.

The blonde grunted as a response.

"I think you need this more than I do." Bree set down her full cup of coffee and pushed it across the desk to the blonde.

On a normal day, Arizona would reject the liquid caffeine boost, it wasn't exactly her preferred choice of beverage, but she relented quickly now, scooping up the cup and downing the contents in four huge gulps. Today was no normal day.

Ever since Callie left for San Francisco, she had been out of sorts. The Senator had not reacted well to the news that his daughter was no longer a patient at Seattle Grace and that she was once again M.I.A. He had blamed anyone who waited around long enough to catch his eye. He wasn't the calm picture of Florida's "family man" that the papers had so eagerly been portraying him. Yang, Grey, and every other resident and attending seemed to blame her for the departure of Dr. Torres, which had deemed her the center of unpopularity at work. The only exception was Mark Sloan, though she wasn't quite sure if he was an ally to be proud of. There was a time when he wasn't exactly liked either.

She hadn't heard from Callie, which was probably the most disturbing issue of all. She could handle an angry father. She could handle the cold shoulder from her co-workers. But she was finding it hard to handle not having Callie. The only light in the darkness had been Bree Hanley.

She was… different. She had this commanding authority about her, like her father, though it was muted, as if she wasn't really fond of the attention she naturally drew from people. She was twenty eight and a graduate of Yale with a M.A. in Political Science. She wasn't exactly perky, but Arizona could tell that she was an optimist. Her eyes were dark with the secrets she hid from the world. She knew everything about everybody but she felt no need to divulge them. She watched the world silently, soaking in every detail, and therefore was able to see and understand things that the average person looked over. That's the reason Arizona knew they were able to become fast friends. Arizona craved new knowledge, and Bree's eyes said she had all the answers.

"How did you know?"

"Know what?" Bree looked truly oblivious though Arizona thought the answer was rather obvious.

"You knew she wasn't here."

"Oh that." Bree shrugged. "It was the little details. Richard Webber is quite a hard man to read, but I presumed he'd meet someone as high profile as my father at the door, especially with my sister's disappearance being as publicized as it is. I had a feeling she was gone when he suggested we go to his office first, but you were what sealed the deal."

"Me? There was no reason for me not to be there. I was her doctor after all."

"Your presence in general wasn't enough, but you were quiet, too quiet for someone with your personality. Not to mention the tension radiating off you was palpable."

Arizona smiled, but her face grew serious a second later. "So she hasn't contacted you?"

"I haven't heard from my sister since the day she disappeared."

Arizona glanced to where the clipped article announcing Chloe Hanley's abduction lay among papers and patient files. "She was never kidnapped was she?"

"You know the answer to that question already."

Arizona sighed. She closed her eyes and ran a hand over her tired face, then let it slam down on her desk. She hardly ever broke her composure enough to let anger show, but once in a while it bubbled over.

A hand arrested hers and she opened her eyes to find Bree Hanley leaning across the desk, concern written on her delicate features.

Arizona sighed again, softer this time. "You seem so calm about all this. How do you stay so composed?"

Bree Hanley pulled back her hand and sat gracefully down in her chair. "It comes with years of practice. Natalie always wanted to be a teacher, like mom. Ritchie wanted to cook professionally. And Chloe, she wanted to dance, maybe go to Julliard one day."

"And you?"

"I was groomed to follow in my father's footsteps. My dad is hoping I'll move to DC so he can teach me in the ways of the politician."

Arizona shook her head. "That's not what I asked. I want to know about the life you wanted, not the one your father wants for you."

Bree frowned, her forehead crinkled in thought. She stayed that way for several minutes. Finally she shook her head, a sad amusement befalling her features. "You know, I think I've been following this path my father laid out for me for so long, that I think I forgot that I used to dream."

"Why did your sister leave?"

Bree smiled. "You're a very clever woman Dr. Robbins. I think you're smart enough to figure this one out on your own." The middle Hanley daughter stood and walked out the door, leaving a confused Arizona to ponder her words.

---------------------------------------------------

Callie stayed holed up in the guest room, even as she heard Erica getting ready for work. She hadn't been planning on going in, but she claimed to have been paged for an unexpected surgery, and that she'd been gone until late that night. Callie knew she was just running. It's what Erica did best after all.

It had hurt to see Erica internally crumple after she'd uttered that she didn't feel the same way. She didn't have to explain how she fell out of love; Erica didn't give her time to explain. She had just gracefully accepted Callie's admission, though Callie could see a part of Erica fade away in her eyes, like some long buried hope had died. She had put a hand to Callie's cheek, stood, and left the room.

They hadn't spoken since.

The part that killed Callie the most was that Erica seemed to accept it as what she deserved. This wasn't what she deserved.

Once she heard the front door close, she left the safety of the room and made her way downstairs.

Elizabeth was sitting in an armchair sideways with her legs draped over the armrest. She had her nose buried deep into a medical journal, reading intently.

Callie plopped down heavily on the couch, causing Elizabeth's eye to stray from her reading material.

"She looked just about as bad as you do when she left."

Callie couldn't respond to that statement. She already felt guilty enough.

"Whatever you said to her up there, it hurt her."

"I know." Callie rubbed her temples. "Why are you so quick to defend her?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "I really like Erica. She reminds me of…" Elizabeth died off and Callie sensed where she was going with it. "Plus, out of the pair of you, you look more guilty, which generally leads a person to infer that you are the one who laid the crushing verbal blow."

"It's complicated."

"That's code for you don't want to tell me."

Callie glanced at Elizabeth.

"Erica and I… we used to be… I mean, we were…"

"Lovers? I gathered." Elizabeth gave Callie a look that said 'so what?'

"She used to be the head of cardio at Seattle Grace. We became fast friends, very close very fast. It took us forever to see it; it was right there the whole time. I think we were both in denial for a while, but then it just all bubbled over. Our walls came crashing down and we leapt. It's was the first time I ever did something impulsive that I didn't live to regret. We spent weeks wrapped up in each other out of the public eye. Erica was more open than I was. Eventually that caught up with us."

"So she broke up with you because you didn't want to go public?"

Callie shook her head. "No. She broke up with me because I cheated on her. She had this big revelation about who she was, and I… I didn't. And I thought there was something wrong with me because of that. I had a crisis, I panicked, and I slept with another doctor, a male doctor."

"How'd she find out?" Elizabeth was intrigued now, the medical journal forgotten on her lap.

"I told her. A couple weeks later we had a disagreement over a case and she split, left without a word, without any warning whatsoever. I found out from our boss. It made me a wreck for a long time."

"Did you yell at her for that? Is that why she was upset?"

Callie shook her head. "I told her I didn't love her anymore."

"Oh." Elizabeth was silent for a couple minutes, then: "Then why do you look so guilty? You were just saying what you felt. She can't expect you to pop by and forgive her right away."

"That's just it though; it was an absolute lie."

------------------------------------------------------

Arizona was pouring over Chloe Hanley's files. Once she had discovered who she really was she had called around to the hospitals in DC and Miami and requested her medical records. It had taken awhile but they had finally arrived that afternoon. She was amazed to find that Chloe was rather clumsy. She had been to the doctor for various bumps and bruises since she was seven years old, increasing the number of trips each year since. It was quite a thick file. She had focused on the last year up until the present, there was just too much to sift through to go back further than that. By early evening she had reached Callie's notes. She trusted Callie as a surgeon and that she would deal with the break, so she hadn't even bothered to give the ortho surgeon's notes more than a cursory glance until now. But was she read through them now, she realized her mistake. She was finally faced with the reason Chloe was running, the reason Callie had been so angry, the reason why Bree had never admitted to the public that her sister had run away.

"Oh my god." Arizona dropped the file as if it had burned her.

"It's hard to see what's right in front of your face, especially when you don't want to see it."

Arizona wasn't surprised to see Bree Hanley leaning against the door frame; she always seemed to be aware of the goings on everywhere.

"She never told me. I could have… I would have…"

"You would have what? Reported this to CPS? My father is a powerful man and he's spent nearly twenty years learning how to cover his ass. He would have found some way around this."

"How long has he been…?" Arizona couldn't even bring herself to utter the truth even now.

Bree shook her head. "My father is just the fuel to the fire, he's not the actual flames. Richie has been violent ever since our mother died. Natalie and I were just fortunate enough that we were old enough to go away to college before things got really bad."

"Your father… he lets your brother do this?"

"He really has no choice in the matter, as far as he's concerned. To leak this would be political career suicide."

Arizona stood. "But this has to stop!"

"And it will. Chloe turns eighteen tomorrow. By law, she won't have to come home if she doesn't want to. She can start over."

"No!" Arizona walked around the desk. "She deserves more justice than that!"

Bree stepped forward meeting Arizona halfway across the room. "My sister's and I all agreed that we wouldn't rob my father of his dreams. Please, don't say anything. Our father has never been unkind…" Bree looked off, looking uncomfortable for the first time since Arizona had met her. "He's just a little lost in his own world, enough that he can turn a blind eye. He doesn't deserve to lose everything because of that."

Arizona frowned and shook her head but said nothing else on the matter.

------------------------------------------------------

Senator Hanley held out a hand to the Chief as they left his office. "I appreciate all your doing to help locate my daughter, Dr. Webber."

Richard Webber was about to answer when he saw a flash of movement over the Senator's shoulder.

The Senator caught the look in his eye and turned to see what had caught the doctor's attention. Arizona Robbins was striding up the hall with a determined look on her face.

"Why Dr. Robbins, so nice to see you again." Senator Hanley put on his best 'vote for me' smile.

Arizona strode right up before him and slapped the smile right off his place. "You bastard."


	18. Ask The Lonely

DISCLAIMER:: not mine

A/N:: i don't know about everyone else, but arizona's getting a little antzy just waiting for word from callie...

-------------------------------------------------

_As you search the embers_

_Think what you've had, remember_

_Hang on, don't you let go now_

_You know, with every heartbeat, we love_

_Hang on, ask the lonely_

---------------------------------------------

"I'm afraid to ask what happened after I left last night." Danielle fell into the seat next to Erica at one of the many tables in Bayside General's spacious cafeteria.

"I wish I could tell you something did." Erica bit the end of one of her carrot sticks and chewed without really tasting it.

"Don't tell me she went off on you? She didn't really seem upset about seeing you yesterday. In fact she looked as if she was about ready to cry when you weren't in your office. The only thing that turned her around was when I agreed to drive her by your place after rounds."

"Today she made it quite clear that her intentions here are not to get back together." Erica tossed the carrot back down on her tray, suddenly disinterested in the food in front of her.

"And you accepted that?"

"Of course, what do you expect me to do?"

"Erica we're doctors. Whenever we're in the heat of a battle and it looks like we're gonna lose, we double our efforts and fight harder. We'd lose countless patients if we didn't. And you're trying to tell me that when it comes down to the one thing most worth fighting for, you're just going to accept defeat without even trying? The Erica Hahn I know doesn't give up, ever."

-----------------------------------------------------

Elizabeth shrugged. "I hadn't really thought about it."

"We have to do something. You're only going to turn eighteen once."

Elizabeth thought on it. "Well I'd like to go out somewhere, but should we risk it?"

Callie smiled from the entrance to the living room. "I think we can manage one day."

"Maybe we could go to…" Elizabeth's words died in her throat and she jumped as the front door slammed open.

"Callie?!" Erica's voice was near frantic.

Callie turned just as Erica reached her, only to have the blonde pull her into her arms and kiss her hard. She pulled away a couple seconds later.

Callie touched her fingers to her lips. "What was that?"

Erica smiled. "I don't believe you. I love you Callie Torres and I know you love me too."

-------------------------------------------------

Mark looked at his phone as it went off. It was lying in front of him on the bar as he did shots. It had been a long day. Normally he didn't mind attention, but the media frenzy the Senator had brought in his wake was weighing on everyone. It seemed like no matter where they went there was a camera or reporter around dying to catch the scoop on how a sick girl escaped from a hospital full of doctor's without anyone's knowledge.

The press had even caused most of the hospital staff to deviate from their local bar of choice, Joe's, and go somewhere more off the beaten path. That was the reason Mark was currently sitting next to his girlfriend at a packed downtown bar called Rumors. It wasn't Joe's, but it would do until the cameras left.

He glanced at the number on the lighted screen. He didn't recognize it. "Hello?"

"Mark?"

"Callie?" Lexie looked up from her drink with a questioning look on her face at the sound of his close friend's name.

"Yeah, it's me."

"What's wrong Callie? You sound upset."

"There's something I have to tell you."

---------------------------------------------------------

Lexie could barely contain her legs to walk at a normal pace as she half ran up to Meredith, who was, as always, talking with Yang.

"You will never guess who called Mark last night."

Meredith looked at Lexie's excited expression and tilted her head. "Who?"

"Dr. Torres."

"So?" Yang rolled her eyes.

"She was really upset, saying she was thinking about returning to Seattle. Apparently she's having 'girl trouble'."

Just around the corner, but completely within earshot, Arizona's heart stopped.

--------------------------------------------------

"Dr. Robbins? You wanted to see me?" Lexie Grey fidgeted in the doorway of Arizona's office.

"Come in Dr. Grey." Arizona didn't look up from the papers she was riffling through but her voice was dead cold.

Lexie shifted uneasily into the room; she was smart enough to shut the door without being told.

It was only after the door clicked shut that Arizona looked up. "Dr. Grey, I heard that your boyfriend had recently received a call from Dr. Torres."

Lexie shifted again, but nodded.

"Was there a… specific reason she called him?"

Lexie shook her head. "Look Dr. Robbins, I didn't answer the phone. All I know is that Dr. Torres is staying with some woman in San Francisco, who apparently laid one on her yesterday. She was pretty shaken up about it from what Mark said. That's all I know."

Arizona stared at her for several seconds. Finally she nodded. "You may go."

Lexie didn't need to be told twice; she bolted straight for the door. As she opened it and dashed out she ran right into Bree Hanley. Both women exchanged quick apologies and then the latter entered Arizona's office.

"What's wrong?"

Arizona looked up and sighed. "I'm going to San Francisco."

-----------------------------------------------------

"Dr. Robbins, Miss Hanley, what brings you here?" Chief Webber frowned slightly as they strode into his office. He had spent the prior evening doing damage control following Arizona's assault on Senator Hanley. When the Chief had questioned her about it, she just shrugged, and claimed she didn't like some of his choices while in office.

"I need to know the address of the hospital Dr. Torres transferred to." Arizona was too stressed to deal with pleasantries.

Chief Webber looked puzzled. He opened and closed his mouth several times before finally settling on "why?".

Arizona shrugged. "It's simple. I'm going to go find her, knock some sense into her, and bring her home."

Richard frowned and shook his head. "I don't think that would be wise."

Arizona felt the heat rising in her face. "Why not?"

Richard thought carefully before he spoke. "Dr. Torres left Seattle for a reason Dr. Robbins. Whatever her reason may be, she decided that it was enough to personally hand in her resignation. She obviously needed to work things out somewhere else."

Arizona took a deep breath then leveled the Chief with a glare. "I'm going to San Francisco to get Callie with or without your help."


	19. The Sweetest Sin

DISCLAIMER:: not mine

A/N:: sick and on a huge break from work because of it. so hopefully i'll be laying down some serious updates every other day or so. i'm under quartine so i've been doing some serious writing and finally it has been decided who callie will end up with in the end. yay!

_-------------------------------------------------------_

_Your lips upon my lips_

_Your fingertips on my fingertips_

_Your skin upon my skin_

_Would be the sweetest sin_

_That would be the sweetest sin_

_Your lips upon my lips_

_Temptation I could never resist_

_Your skin upon my skin_

_Would be the sweetest sin_

_That would be the sweetest sin_

----------------------------------------------------

Erica sat downstairs with Elizabeth and listened to Callie storm around upstairs in the guest room, occasionally hearing the mumbling of her talking to someone on the phone. Neither she nor Elizabeth spoke about what had just transpired. They both just stared at the ceiling with blank expressions on their faces.

Finally Elizabeth looked down when an idea struck her. "Have you ever heard of PCD?"

Erica looked down at her with a confused expression on her face. "Primary Ciliary Dyskensia? Of course I've heard of it."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "You have such a one track mind. Stop thinking medical terms and think in musical terms. What do you listen to?"

Erica shook her head. If there was something she knew absolutely nothing about, it was music. "The last song I heard was Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer… when it was brand new."

Elizabeth looked at her as if she were crazy. "You realize that song came out five years _before_ I was born?"

Erica shrugged sheepishly. "What can I say? You don't really have time for that kind of thing when you…"

"Work 24/7?" Elizabeth was quick to cut in. She held up a finger. "Give me one second. I'm gonna introduce you to a little pop culture."

----------------------------------------------------

"If you're really going to San Francisco, I'm going with you." Bree held Arizona's coat out to her.

"Won't your dad be just a little concerned that you're flying out of state with someone you only met yesterday?"

Bree smiled. "My dad's so absorbed with keeping the press off his tail, I would highly doubt he'd notice. Besides, it's not like we're going on some romantic vacation. We're going to rescue your girlfriend."

"Ex." The word chilled Arizona but she tried not to let it show. The effort was wasted; Bree read right through her expression.

She put a hand on Arizona's arm. "You still have a chance. She loves you, remember that."

"But what if she loves this new girl even more? What if she's been dating this girl too and that's the real reason she left so suddenly?"

Bree gave her arm a slight squeeze. "Don't worry. You'll find the answers you're looking for."

Arizona smiled and nodded, letting Bree's words comfort her.

---------------------------------------------------

Callie had spent three hours locked up in her room. After storming upstairs, she had called Mark to tell him she was coming home. She knew Erica would keep Elizabeth safe for as long as she needed to. There was no reason left for her to be there.

She had no idea what to make of Erica's declaration. Her immediate response had been to start kissing the cardio surgeon back and she probably would have had Erica not pulled away. But she couldn't do this. She couldn't go there again with Erica; that's not why she had come here. Why had she come here?

_Safety_.

She had come here for safety.

_Elizabeth looked down at the paper in her hands with the name and address of where she was supposed to go. "Does this lady even no I'm coming?"_

_Callie shook her head._

_Elizabeth frowned. "So why exactly are you shipping me off to somebody who has no idea I'm coming?"_

_"Because with her is the safest place I know."_

Callie smiled and stood, her packed bags falling from her hands. _Erica_.

She was suddenly unsure of her decision to go back to Seattle. She sat down on the bed and rubbed her eyes. She felt so emotionally overwhelmed. Just a week ago she had been so convinced she wanted to be with Arizona… possibly forever. But now… she had no idea what she wanted.

Music came up through the floorboards. Callie looked down. She had never known Erica to be the music type. As far as she knew Erica didn't own any CD's let alone a stereo.

Curious, she left the solitude of her room and went downstairs. What she saw when she stepped into the living room stopped her dead.

Elizabeth and Erica were… dancing. Well, Elizabeth was dancing. Erica was trying to copy Elizabeth's fast and flexible movements and failing horribly. It was all Callie could do to keep for bursting out laughing. Then she actually was able to focus on the song and that made things worse.

_Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me?_

_Don't cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me?_

_Don't cha, don't cha?_

_Don't cha wish your girlfriend was wrong like me?_

_Don't cha wish your girlfriend was fun like me?_

_Don't cha, don't cha?_

Callie could hold it back no longer. She burst into laughter that shook her body so hard she had to grab the door frame to support herself.

Erica looked up, shocked, but Elizabeth just joined in the giggling.

Erica put her hands on her hips. "And just what is so funny?"

Callie tried to answer her, but when she opened her mouth more laughs came out. Finally, she managed to draw in enough air to speak. "Your dancing… skills… could be… compared to the… likes of… my cooking skills." She had to pause every few words to gulp in more air.

Erica narrowed her eyes.

Callie noticed Erica's frown and death glare combo and smiled. "Awww, baby, I didn't mean it."

They all noticed Callie's term of endearment, though none of them chose to acknowledge it for fear of the other's reactions.

--------------------------------------------------

"Now boarding flight 1065 to San Francisco."

Arizona looked up at the announcement that came over the airport's loudspeaker. She had barely been able to believe their good fortune. Apparently, a Senator's daughter threw some weight with airlines because after a few phone calls, Bree had landed them two tickets on the next flight to California.

They boarded the plane and took their seats. Arizona could feel the knot in the pit of her stomach getting bigger. She just couldn't shake the feeling that they were making a mistake by taking this trip.

_Callie_.

That one thought eased her tension. She was going to see Callie.

----------------------------------------------

Elizabeth had crashed on the couch after dinner. Callie loosed the medical journal from the girl's hand and pulled the blanket Erica handed her over her small body. Erica flipped off the light and they exited the room together.

"She's been reading these things like crazy." Callie set the journal on the small table by the staircase. "You would think she was studying to become a doctor or something."

"She really seems to have a passion for dancing though."

Callie nodded as she began to ascend the stairs, followed closely by Erica.

After Callie had finally composed herself after laughing so much, Elizabeth had turned back on the music and they had all danced around for what seemed like hours. Somewhere in the fun, Erica had called and ordered pizza which they had demolished in a haste before agreeing to crash.

They reached the second floor landing and started to move separate ways toward their respective rooms.

"Goodnight Cal." Erica smiled and started down the hall to the right.

"Erica."

The blonde turned, a question in her eyes.

Callie took a step closer to the blonde. There was only a foot between them. "Thanks… for taking me and Elizabeth in." She looked down. "I just wanted to say that before I forgot."

Erica smiled and lifted Callie's chin. "You don't have to thank me Cal. I should be thanking you."

Callie frowned. "For what?"

Erica smiled. "For giving me my best friend back."

She released Callie's chin and turned, moving back down the hallway. She had just opened the door to her room when…

"Erica."

The blonde turned again. Her eyes met Callie's for a second and then the brunette raced down the hall and flung herself into Erica's arms, their lips crashing together, literally.

Callie pulled back, her hands coming up to rest on either side of Erica's face. She didn't need to admit that she lied, they both knew the truth.

Callie smiled and she kicked the door shut as Erica's lips found hers again.


	20. A Thousand Miles

DISCLAIMER:: not mine and all that

A/N:: i'm not pushing them out as fast as i had originally hoped but i am still on sick leave until next wednesday, so hopefully i can be productive the next week and start getting more chapters posted. still more to come, including arizona's confrontation with callie... and with erica, as well as elizabeth's confrontation with her father.

-------------------------------------------------------

_If I could fall into the sky_

_Do you think time would pass me by_

_Cause you know I'd walk 1000 miles_

_If I could just see you tonight_

--------------------------------------------------------

Fate. It can carry you into the presence of the one you're supposed to spend the rest of your life with. It can lead you down the path you're supposed to lead. It can deliver you to the moment that truly changes your life. Or it can totally screw you and sneak out before you wake up the next morning.

In this particular instance, Fate led Bree and Arizona out of the airport and straight into the cab that Elizabeth had sat in not two days before.

"Where to ladies?"

"Bayside General Hospital please."

"Must be the go to destination for weary travelers." The guy had meant to mutter the statement only to himself but his gruff voice was so loud it filled the entire cab whether he liked it or not.

"What do you mean?"

"Picked up a girl from the bus station the other day that was going to the same place."

Bree paled. "Black hair, really thin?"

"That's the one. Somebody you know?"

Bree nodded. "You could say that."

Arizona opened her purse and pulled out some cash. She leaned over the seat and pressed it into the cabbie's hand. "Time is of the essence."

The man nodded, getting her point and stepping on the gas.

---------------------------------------------------

"Cal. Wakeup Cal."

Callie wasn't quite sure she was ready to get up just yet. She was caught in the heaviness of sleep, the feeling of being so comfortable that you know even the bat of an eyelash will ruin it.

"Cal." Erica nuzzled Callie's hair.

Finally Callie reluctantly opened her eyes. "May I help you?"

Erica stared down into her eyes with the same intensity in which she stared back up into hers. Finally the blonde broke their gaze to place a slow meaningful kiss on Callie's lips.

"Do you love me Cal?" She had pulled back but not much, leaving mere centimeters between their mouths, ready to kiss away any unwanted answers if Callie were to attempt to utter them.

Callie smiled. "I've loved you for so long I don't even remember a time when I didn't."

Erica captured her lips, obviously pleased by the answer. Callie let herself seep into the kiss. She pulled Erica's body on top of hers.

She let out a small grunt of dismay when Erica pulled away. "Are you in love with me Cal?"

Callie smiled again. "Is there really a difference?"

Erica frowned and nodded slightly. "You know there is."

Before Callie could respond, Elizabeth burst through the door shouting. "Erica, Callie's not in her room. I think she might have…" Elizabeth's words died out and her eyes widened. She immediately clapped a hand over them. "Didn't see a thing, I swear." She backed blindly out the door, feeling for the knob and shutting it behind her.

Both of the surgeons were dead silent, staring at the now closed door. Then Erica burst into laughter followed closely by Callie.

Once they were done expressing their amusement over the awkward situation, Callie took a moment to just look at Erica. The way the sunlight from the window bounced of her blonde hair, creating a halo effect, the way she smiled and laughed, actions most people rarely saw. She felt so privileged to see this side that no one ever got to see of the 'ice queen'. It was her vulnerable side that drew Callie in like a moth to a flame. It was that part of her that Callie was addicted to. She thought back to dart games and sunrise yoga, drinking wine at her apartment and their first date.

"Erica." Her voice sounded much as it had on their date.

The blonde met her gaze, giving Callie her full attention.

Callie smiled. "My answer is yes." She caught the blonde's lips before her words even had time to process.

--------------------------------------------------------------

"Wow, this is, um…" Arizona stood just inside the main entrance of Bayside General looking around the lobby.

"Big?"

Arizona glanced at Bree and nodded. "My thoughts exactly." She looked between the hallways that led off in all directions. "How will we ever find Callie in this mess?"

Bree pointed to some glass display cases. "That looks like a directory. You go check it out and I'll go ask the receptionist.

Arizona nodded and the two women went their opposite ways.

The receptionist looked up as Bree approached and smiled. "How may I help you today?"

"I'm looking for a doctor who I believe works here."

"Well I can certainly assist you in locating anybody on our staff. May I have the physician's name please?"

"Torres. Calliope Torres."

The receptionist typed a series of indiscernible keystrokes into her computer. Bree knew what the frown on her face meant before she even uttered the words. "I'm sorry, we don't seem to have anybody on staff by that name. Are you sure you have the right hospital?"

Bree glanced over to where Arizona was checking the list for what had to be the third time. She turned back to the receptionist. "I'm sure we probably misunderstood. Thanks for your help."

"You're welcome. Is there anything else I can assist you with?"

Bree smiled and shook her head. "No that will be all, thanks."

"Have a nice day."

"You too." Bree headed off towards Arizona, who had paused in front of one group of names. "The receptionist said nobody by the name of Calliope Torres works here. Are you sure we got the right hospital?"

Arizona nodded and pointed to a name. "Oh, I'm sure."

Bree read the line she was pointing to. "Who's Erica Hahn?"

--------------------------------------------------------

"I think we had better go downstairs." Now Callie was the one trying to coax Erica out of bed.

"Why?" Erica's voice took on a whining edge.

Callie leaned back down and kissed the blonde's forehead. "Because today is somebody's 18th birthday and we're not going to miss it to fool around upstairs."

Callie sat up and on the edge of the bed, her feet resting on the ground, but she didn't get up.

Erica crawled over and sat behind her, resting her chin on Callie's shoulder. "Are you going to stay with me Cal?"

Callie paused. "I don't know."

"Do you know that I love you?" Erica kissed her shoulder.

Callie smiled and nodded.

Erica kissed the nape of her neck. "Then you must also know that I am madly in love with you Callie And I want you to stay. I need you to stay."

----------------------------------------------------

But Fate wasn't done with Arizona Robbins. Fate now delivered Arizona into the presence of Danielle Troy.

"Excuse me." Arizona tapped the shoulder of a dark haired tall woman standing at a nurses station.

"Yes, can I help you?" The woman turned and Arizona noted that Dr. Troy was embroidered in emerald green thread on the right breast pocket of the woman's white lab coat.

Arizona put on her most charming smile. "My friend and I were looking for the office of Erica Hahn. I think we took a couple wrong turns somewhere."

Danielle was quiet for a moment, dazed by Arizona's dimpled smile. Finally, she nodded. "I have a couple free minutes; I can take you there if you'd like."

Arizona nodded, her eyes locked with Danielle's bright green ones. "I'd like that."

Danielle and Arizona walked side by side, sharing their specialties and other idle chatter as Bree followed two steps behind.

Danielle stopped at an unremarkable door. Arizona knew they would have searched for hours without help.

"Here we are. I'm afraid Dr. Hahn won't return to work until tomorrow. She's on a… vacation of sorts." Danielle frowned briefly, but it was gone almost as fast as it came.

Arizona nodded. "Actually I just needed to ask her a question. A friend of mine recently came to San Francisco looking for Dr. Hahn. I am…"

"You're looking for Callie?" Danielle seemed caught off guard.

Arizona, however, was even more caught off guard. "You know Calliope?"

Danielle frowned again, deeper this time. "I met her a few days ago, when she came here looking for Erica."

"Can you tell me where she is?" Arizona looked too hopeful for Danielle to turn down.

-------------------------------------------------------

"Are you sure that's what you want? Are you sure that's what she'd want?" Erica pushed aside a strand of Callie's long hair and placed it behind her ear.

Callie nodded. "I know that's what she'd want."

Erica nodded. "Okay. I'll go out and pick everything up. You stay here and keep an eye on the birthday girl."

Callie watched with a pout as Erica got up and walked towards the dresser. They had showered together quickly, only to return, towel clad, to the bed for another round of kissing. The ortho resident wasn't keen on the thought of spending anytime without Erica. It seemed as if they were in their own little world here in Erica's house. They were safe from the outside world, safe from the past. Callie found it easy to forget all her problems and just live in the moment. And she found it was powerfully addictive to forget yourself.

As soon as Erica had dressed, she turned back to Callie and finally noticed the pout. "Now, you can't give me that look. I'll only be gone for an hour or so." She crossed the room and leaned down to kiss Callie softly.

Callie followed her out the door and when she broke for the stairs, Callie went on to the guest room she had been formerly sleeping in and where her clothes were still kept. She changed quickly and went downstairs. Erica was already gone but she went in and sat on the couch, across from Elizabeth, who had returned to her chair and was studying another of Erica's many medical journals faithfully.

When Callie sat down, Elizabeth peered over the top of the journal. "Fun night?"

Callie blushed. "Enlightening."

"That day we made you breakfast, Erica told me she had been in love with her best friend once. That was you she was talking about, wasn't it?"

Callie nodded.

Elizabeth smiled satisfactorily.

"What?"

Elizabeth just shook her head and kept smiling. "I told her it was simple to fix."

-------------------------------------------------------

"I don't think I can do this." Arizona clutched the small sheet of paper Danielle Troy had ripped of a prescription pad to jot down the address of Erica Hahn.

Bree nodded. "Of course you can. Danielle said that Erica and Callie were still on shaky ground when she last saw them and you even told me yourself that Dr. Grey said Callie was thinking about coming back to Seattle because she was upset of something a girl attempted to do." She put a comforting hand on Arizona's shoulder. "Do you really think that much changed in a day?"

Bree had insisted they wait for the bus and take it across town to the Sunset District, where the cardio surgeon lived. She claimed it would give Arizona longer to think about what she wanted to say once they came face to face with her ex girlfriend and her ex girlfriend's ex girlfriend. But all Arizona could think about was how her relationship was truly over.

Even more troubling was that a search of the pediatric ward had turned up no traces of Chloe. They had even tried under her alias Elizabeth, but no seventeen year old girl's matching her description had checked in recently. It occurred to Arizona that she might be with Callie, but that was insane. Callie couldn't have been harboring a runaway this whole time, could she? Arizona wasn't even sure what Callie was capable of anymore.

----------------------------------------------------

Finally the bus pulled to a stop before them. She followed Bree onto the thin, long bus and sat down to brave the long ride ahead.

Erica came back a couple hours later to a comfortable silence. Both women were waiting for her in the living room, absorbed in their own thoughts.

She nodded to Callie who cleared her throat.

"If you could please join us in the kitchen Elizabeth."

The girl looked up curiously at Callie and shrugged, getting up. Erica had already gone into the kitchen to set down the small cake and arrange a few candles on it. When they walked in, Callie went to Erica's side and the tradition began.

"Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear Elizabeth. Happy Birthday to you."

Elizabeth grinned and for the first time her youth showed through. Callie had never considered her a child, after all she'd gone through, but now she was just that. She was a kid and it was her birthday. It occurred to both women at once that this girl had probably had very few, if any, celebrated birthdays.

She took a momentary pause to make a wish and then leaned down to blow out the candles.

"Now for your gift."

"It was actually Callie's idea."

"But it's from both of us." Callie smiled as Erica hooked and arm around her waist and pulled her close. Erica handed her the envelope and she handed it to Elizabeth.

The girl tilted her head, the envelope clutched in her hand, and contemplated them for a moment, as if she was also foreign to the gesture of gift giving. Finally she opened the envelope and pulled out a card. She read the cover and then opened it to finish. A check slid out and fell to the ground. She picked it up and stared at it, her eyes growing wide.

Before she could say anything Callie spoke. "Wait, it's a two part gift."

Erica passed a manila envelope across the table to Elizabeth. The girl didn't hesitate to open it this time. She pulled out the thick stack of documents inside and realization dawned on her face. She looked up with tears in her eyes, but a smile on her face. One more genuine than all they'd seen before. "Thank you. You have no idea how grateful I've been for all you've done for me. This…" She put a hand on the papers before her. "It means so much."

Erica and Callie looked at each other, silently congratulating themselves on getting it right.

Elizabeth ran around the table and hugged them both.

And then Fate brought a knock to the door to shatter their little world.


	21. Decode

DISCLAIMER:: not mine. belongs to abc studios and shonda.

-------------------------------------------------

_How did we get here_

_When I used to know you so well_

_How did we get here_

_Well, I think I know_

-------------------------------------------------

Bree Hanley had grown up in a household where the ability to read people was the difference between the life she had led and the life Chloe had led. She could almost always tell what someone was thinking by looking into their eyes and reading the miniscule movements that would normally go unnoticed. It was an art that had taken over a decade to perfect but had served her well. It didn't hurt that she was naturally empathetic.

Growing up in an abusive household, if nothing else, taught you to let nothing go unnoticed. Every movement was a possible indicator, a gauge, of how angry your abuser is at that particular moment. You learn to study patterns, behaviors and associate them with emotions. If he doesn't come downstairs for dinner, he tends to be moody, and that is more likely to end in an act of violence. If you're not prone to pick up the habits of your abuser, as many who are abused become abusers themselves, then reading their patterns is crucial to survival, to the maintenance of one's sanity. Without that knowledge, that skill, you become consumed by your role as the victim.

Bree knew her greatest asset was this ability. It led people to believe she was all knowing, when really she just paid strict attention to the details others miss.

For example, Bree knew her sister would be at Erica Hahn's. She also knew that she and Arizona would find Callie Torres in the arms of Erica Hahn. She had read it all in the eyes of Danielle Troy.

She didn't fail to notice Danielle Troy's attraction to Arizona either. As she followed them around the halls of Bayside General, she couldn't help feeling like a third wheel. Danielle was wrapped up in Arizona and Arizona was not openly opposing Danielle's advances, though she didn't appear particularly interested either. She was relieved when Arizona finally said that they should be on their way.

The bus ride was interesting to say the least. While mostly convenient, the San Francisco transit system is not without its flaws. At the less touristy stops, the wait between pickups was generally no less than a half hour and once the bus arrived it was usually standing room only. Although it did have the perk of rope pulls that allowed you to signal the driver to stop at any location where there might not be a designated stop, traffic permitting of course.

Riding a bus down a steep hill while standing because she gave Arizona the last free seat was not how she pictured spending her day, but there was something oddly comforting about it. She was doing what she wanted to do, for once. It felt good, liberating.

Once the disembarked the bus, it was a three block walk to the house of one Erica Hahn, as per Danielle Troy's instructions.

Arizona had been unusually quiet throughout their trek across the city, obviously deep in thought.

"Bree?"

Bree looked up as they were rounding the first corner.

"Callie left me to be with Erica. I know that. She helped your sister escape because she wanted to run." Arizona walked slower until she stopped completely. "What am I doing here? Whether she left me because she was scared of commitment, or because she wanted to be with Erica is regardless. She wanted to leave. I shouldn't be here right? I'm just here to get my heart broken."

Bree stepped in front of Arizona and grabbed her shoulders softly. "You do crazy, inexplicable things when you love someone."

Arizona contemplated Bree for a moment, letting her words sink in. She had no doubt her words rang true in regards to herself, but then weren't they also true for Callie?

----------------------------------------------------------

Before they had even answered the door, Callie and Erica were freaking out.

"Are you expecting anyone?" Callie turned to Erica with worry written on her face.

Erica just shook her head.

"Elizabeth, go upstairs." Callie stepped protectively in front of the girl as if their intruders could see through walls.

The girl looked about to argue, but one of Erica's signature ice queen glares and she grabbed her gift and headed for the stairs.

The knock came again.

"Don't worry Cal. It's probably just some door to door salesman trying to sell me carpet cleaning services or a newspaper subscription or something." Erica squeezed Callie's shoulder as she strolled past her and out of the kitchen. Callie heard her steps in the foyer as she headed for the front door.

----------------------------------------------------

Arizona looked up at the large three story Victorian before her and felt her stomach drop. It was a beautiful house, grand, fit for a surgeon of Erica's caliber. What did she have to offer Callie? Certainly not this.

"Love, devotion, attention."

Arizona wasn't surprised at Bree's words. She'd gotten used to the woman reading her mind. She nodded and started up to the front door.

She grabbed the old fashioned brass door knocker and thumped it loudly against the wooden door. The sound echoed through the old house.

Silence ensued. No one answered and Arizona heard no sounds from inside. After nearly a minute, she turned from the door.

"Well obviously no one's home."

Bree placed a soft hand over Arizona's mouth and held her index finger of her free hand in front of her lips.

Arizona strained to listen and then she heard it. The sound of feet on stairs. It was faint, but it was there. Someone was home.

Arizona stepped back up to the door and knocked again. This time there was a reaction from the occupants of the house. She heard muffled voices and then footsteps coming her way. She squared her shoulders and prepared to face the infamously evil Dr. Hahn.

Arizona had never gotten an opportunity to meet Erica Hahn in person; she had resigned before Arizona even set foot in Seattle Grace. But she had heard the rumors about the ice queen. She knew Hahn hadn't been a crowd favorite. She was described as cold, harsh, and an array of other not so nice adjectives. Callie had kept no pictures of her, if she had ever had any, so all Arizona had for reference were a few professional photos from the covers of various medical journals and articles. Pictures that looked intimidating and serious, that supported the rumors. She was prepared to face that Erica Hahn.

But she wasn't prepared for who opened the door. Before her was a blonde woman pushing forty. She was taller than average but not exceptionally so. She had a trim figure, pretty face, and blue eyes a few shades off from Arizona's own. She was dressed casually in jeans and a blouse. And she smiled at Arizona without one hint of coldness.

"Can I help you?"

Arizona was frozen. Where did this woman get off being polite? Arizona was the perky one, the nice one. She was the one people liked. She was the social butterfly. She had come here prepared for war, not civility. All her earlier questions came rushing back. What was she doing here? The woman at the door was waiting for an answer, but Arizona could think of nothing to say.

Suddenly Bree stepped forward, as if on cue to rescue Arizona from embarrassing herself. "Dr. Hahn I presume."

Erica's eyes darkened with suspicion. "Yes, and you are?"

Bree smiled. "My name is Bree Hanley and I'd really like to see my sister now."

---------------------------------------------------------

Callie had stayed in the kitchen to put the untouched birthday away. She heard Erica to speaking to whomever was on the front steps, but she was already calmed down, her fears abated by Erica's reassuring squeeze. When she heard Erica close the door a minute later, she went out to see who had knocked.

As she stepped into the foyer, her heart stopped. Standing next to Erica was Arizona, who, Callie noted, didn't look particularly happy.

The younger blonde caught Callie's gaze and froze. Arizona looked as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing and Callie was sure she looked the same. She sure felt that way. Was Arizona really standing there, next to Erica?

"Calliope." Arizona sounded on the verge of tears, whether from anger or sorrow, Callie couldn't tell.

"Calliope?" Erica raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Callie.

Callie frowned. Talk about being put on the spot. "Um, hi, Arizona."

"Arizona?" Erica looked at the younger blonde. "**Arizona**?" Erica turned on Callie, anger starting to flush on her cheeks.

Callie couldn't focus on Erica; she was too engrossed in her wordless conversation with Arizona.

The older blonde came over to Callie, standing next to her until she had no choice but to glance at her. "Cal, tell me you didn't call her." Erica put a hand on Callie's shoulder.

Arizona took a step forward. "Calliope, tell me you didn't _sleep _with her."

"I… I…" Callie looked between Arizona and Erica.

"Bree?" Elizabeth said from the top of the stairs, drawing everyone's eyes to her.

Callie looked back over Arizona's shoulder as a woman she hadn't noticed before stepped forward. She was beautiful, with a young face, full lips and doe eyes. Callie didn't even know who she was and yet she immediately liked her.

"Hello Chloe."

Elizabeth smiled and took the stairs two at a time. When she hit the ground, she ran forward. Just as she was about to launch herself into her older sister's arms, she stopped, a pained look crossing her face. Then, she went down.


	22. So In Love With Two

DISCLAIMER:: not mine. belongs to abc studios and shonda.

A/N:: sorry I didn't pump out more chapters while I was on sick leave. yesterday was my first day back and it was a crazy one. but I should be finished posting all the remaining chapters by the first week of September.

----------------------------------------------------------

_I don't wanna push it_

_I don't wanna fight_

_But this feeling keeps me up all night_

_If I only could decide_

_But I can't make up my mind_

_I'm breaking all my rules because of you_

_You can tell me it's not right_

_And it tears me up inside_

_But the problem is I'm so in love with two_

_I don't know what to do_

_I choose the both of you_

_----------------------------------------------------------_

"She shouldn't have put so much strain on her heart. Not so soon after surgery." Erica paced the waiting room of Bayside General.

They'd been there for a few hours now. Erica couldn't sit still, she insisted on moving, constantly. Arizona had placed herself in the seat directly across from Callie, while the stranger, Bree, sat on Callie's right side. She'd been curious about Bree, but considering the circumstances, she felt it would be rude to inquire. Elizabeth should be the focal point of her thoughts right now. They still had no idea what had happened. It was amazing that Elizabeth had collapsed in a room full of doctors, one of which was a pediatric surgeon, another a heart surgeon, and they had all just rambled, unable to come up with a diagnosis.

"You shouldn't have let her." Arizona looked at Erica disapprovingly. "She should have stayed in the hospital to recover after surgery."

"So she could be forced right back into the situation that caused her to run in the first place?" Erica was quick to shoot back at Arizona rather venomously.

"How was I supposed to know what was happening to her? She never told me!" Arizona stood up, now on the defensive.

"The broken wrist didn't send up any flares?" Erica stopped pacing and took a defensive position as well.

"Arizona's outmatched. Erica lives for confrontation." Callie watched as each woman slammed the other with witty retorts, each preying upon the other's guilt. She was too tired to try and stop it and run the risk of getting involved.

Bree smiled from her spot in the chair next to Callie. "Don't underestimate Arizona. She may be sweet but she has fight in her."

Callie focused her attention solely on Arizona and nodded.

The ER doctor walked in and focused on the four women. Erica and Arizona were smart enough to put an abrupt end to the fight.

"There was no damage done. She just got a little overworked it put a little stress on her heart and the repair in the artery. She'll be fine as far as I can tell. I'd like to keep her overnight f observation, just to be safe, but I see no reason why she can't go home tomorrow afternoon."

"Thank you Dr. Burnger. Would you mind if I take a look at her test results?"

"Not at all Dr. Hahn."

Erica left with the doctor.

Bree stood. "I'm gonna go deal with all the paperwork, keep this all under the radar." She left before either Arizona or Callie could object.

Arizona fell back into her former seat across from Callie and gazed at her evenly. It was the first time they'd been alone since Callie left Seattle. The silence was stifling.

"Arizona, it's not…"

The blonde held up a hand to silence her.

Callie shook her head. "But I…"

Arizona held up her hand higher and shook her head.

Callie opened her mouth to speak again. She had so much she needed to explain.

"This is not the place for this conversation Calliope." Her words weren't exactly harsh, but they were strict and urgent, somewhere between ordering Callie to shut up and begging her to.

Callie sighed but kept her mouth shut. It was going to be a long night.

-------------------------------------------------------------

"Ooh, what's this?" Callie's face lit up at the sight of the cup Erica was holding out to her. She had never been so elated to see a 16oz paper cup filled with steaming liquid.

"This is a hot caramel macchiato." Erica eased the hot cup into Callie's hands, not letting go until she was sure Callie had a good grip on the heat sleeve.

"You, are a godsend."

Erica smiled, tempted to seize the opportunity to lean down and kiss the upturned face of the woman smiling gratefully at her. But Arizona was nearby, watching them like a hawk over the top of her book. And then the opportunity was lost as Callie turned her attention to the steaming cup in her hands. Erica turned to Arizona and held out another steaming cup.

"I don't drink coffee, thanks." Arizona didn't look up from the book she was now pretending to be utterly engrossed in.

"I know. That's why I got you hot tea."

Arizona's eyes shot up in surprise. "Oh."

Erica smiled. "Callie said you liked Chamomile, but they didn't have any so I got you green tea instead. I hope that's okay."

Arizona stared at the cup. After a few moments she reached for the cup and met Erica's eyes. "Thanks."

Erica nodded and left the room. She had flitted in and out of Elizabeth's room whenever she got the chance, in between surgeries and rounds. Bree had fallen asleep next to the teenager's bed.

"If we hadn't met under the current circumstances I think I would really like her."

"Why?" Callie couldn't hide the caution in her tone.

Arizona shrugged. "Everyone always talked about her like she was the spawn of satan. The word bitch was used more than once. But she's not. She actually rather pleasant."

Callie stared at Arizona with an open mouth as the blonde went back to her book. It surprised her that the younger blonde had anything nice to say about Erica at all. Finally a smile replaced her shock. Arizona really was the kindest soul she'd ever known. She found the silver lining in every situation. She brightened Callie's world. Callie had forgotten that the past couple days she'd spent getting lost once again in Erica Hahn.

Callie looked back down at her cup. "Will you make me a promise?"

Arizona looked up just as Callie did and their eyes met.

"Promise me we'll get a chance to talk about all this. There are a lot of things I have to say and I'm sure there's some you'd like to say as well. I just don't want to lose the opportunity to say them."

Arizona thought for a second, then nodded. "Okay Calliope, I promise."

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Callie had started to see a pattern to the jumble of hallways and no longer needed a map to traverse them by midnight. She had gone for several walks around the massive complex, too suffocated by the silence to stay in the room with Arizona for more than thirty minutes at a time. By morning, she was exhausted, but she knew it would still be several hours before Elizabeth was cleared to go home. Once, around midnight, Erica had suggested that Callie and Arizona go back to her house and sleep. But the looks they both gave her silenced the cardio surgeon and she didn't mention them leaving again.

The one wing Callie had memorized every direction to was the cardio wing. She hadn't spoken much to Erica since they'd arrived at the hospital, but she was dying to get her alone so they could talk. Every hour or so she made her way to the cardio wing to see if she was out of surgery, or done with her meeting, or done with her patient. Every time she was disappointed.

As she walked into the now familiar area of the hospital she saw Erica looking over some charts off to the left side of the nurses' station. She stopped for a moment and just watched Erica work, her hand moving meticulously across the paper with a deep set concentration. Erica's dedication was one of the things Callie loved about her. She knew Erica never gave up when it came to her patients. She was intent on giving them the best care, even if it meant rubbing her colleagues the wrong way and she often did. And she never complained. She did millions of charts a week, a task which Callie found impossibly boring, and she said nothing about them. It was a part of her job, and Erica was devoted to her job.

Callie felt a smile lift the side of her mouth. She thought back to when they had first gotten together. Erica had been a little self-conscious at work before they had officially established what they were. But after, Callie had been surprised… and scared, that Erica had no problem with little bits of PDA. She hadn't cared what anybody else might be thinking, like Callie had. Erica's reputation had always been everything to her. Callie was amazed that she hadn't seen it before, the proof that Erica had loved her even then. Nothing came before Erica's work, nothing, it seemed, except Callie.

"Hey." Callie bounced up next to Erica.

The blonde looked up from the chart she was scribbling on.

"I wanted to see if you were free for breakfast. You haven't eaten anything all night, and I could use a bite." Callie put a hand on Erica's arm.

"Are you sure that's a good idea Cal?" Erica looked uncertain.

"Uh, yeah, why?"

"Well don't you think your girlfriend might have a problem with it?"

Callie sighed. "You are my best friend. If she has any problems with that then she is going to have to deal. I'm not going to tiptoe around things and cut people out of my life just because she's paranoid."

"Cal…"

Callie shook her head adamantly. "No! I won't sacrifice one of you for the other."

Erica frowned. "Cal, I don't think it's possible to have us both."

--------------------------------------------------------

"Are you here to take me back?"

Bree Hanley looked up. "You're awake!"

"You're avoiding the question."

Bree sighed. "No, I'm not. But Dad is going to stay in Seattle until this is resolved."

Elizabeth looked away and played with the corner of her white hospital blanket. "There's really no escape, is there?"

Bree stood and stepped up to the bed. Elizabeth slid over and made room for her sister to slip onto the bed next to her.

Bree stroked her sister's hair. She wanted nothing more than to take Chloe's pain away, to reassure her that Richie would never hurt again. But she knew it wasn't true and lying wouldn't solve her sister's problems. Richie would most likely be hurting Chloe until the day she died. Even if Chloe managed to get away from their brother, she would always bear her scars, evidence of all her wounds. She would never be completely free.


	23. Afterlife

DISCLAIMER:: not mine still

A/N:: this is a really crucial chapter, it's setting up the end of this story. it took quite a bit of time to get right, but i'm rather happy with the end result. thanks for reading and feedback is appreciated as always.

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_I don't belong here_

_I gotta move on dear_

_Escape from this afterlife_

_Cause this time I'm right_

_To move on and on_

_Far away from here_

_Got nothing against you_

_And surely I'll miss you_

_This place full of peace and light_

_And I'd hoped you might_

_Take me back inside_

_When the time is right_

_--------------------------------------------------------------_

"I'm not an infirm! God, I swear you guys are acting like my three moms." Elizabeth slapped away the hands of the three older women, refusing their offers of help to get her out of Erica's car. Arizona, Callie and Erica all stepped back, slightly rebuffed by the young girl's sharp tone. She'd been slightly irritable since they had left the hospital.

"You shouldn't put too much physical strain on yourself." Arizona ignored Elizabeth's evil glare and grabbed her elbow, helping her up the front steps to where Erica had already unlocked the front door. Callie followed with Bree right behind her.

Arizona helped Elizabeth settle down on the couch and Erica went to get her a blanket while Callie went to get her a glass of water.

They spent the rest of the afternoon fussing over the teenager. Rest only came when the girl fell asleep around six.

Callie walked into the kitchen, followed by the other three women. She flopped into a chair at the table and sighed, letting her head fall onto her arms folded on the table. Erica sat down next to her and rubbed her back gently. Arizona seethed at the sight, but nobody but Bree seemed to notice. Bree stood in the safety of the doorway.

"I think we should take turns staying downstairs with her throughout the night. None of us got much sleep at the hospital and we really need some rest, but I don't want to leave her alone. Tomorrow's going to be a long day." Erica looked at each of the women in turn.

"I think we should do it in teams. Bree and I will do the first shift. You guys go upstairs and get some sleep. You," Callie turned to Erica, "have been on your feet all night. And you had a long flight yesterday and got no time to rest after." Callie settled her gaze on Arizona.

Both blondes were too tired to object.

Erica stood, making a move first. "Come on Arizona, I'll show you to a guest room."

Reluctantly, Arizona followed Erica out of the kitchen.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Two hours later Callie had learned only one thing about Bree Hanley. She was the silent type.

Neither of the brunette's had said one word to each other except to agree on placing an order for Chinese takeout.

Bree Hanley found Callie Torres interesting. She could be quiet for extended periods of time, a quality Arizona lacked. Yet Bree could sense that Callie had constant conversations in her head, a war of words that endlessly raged on.

"Do you think she resents you for going to college?"

Bree smiled. It wasn't the obvious question someone would ask. How old are you? Where'd you go to school? Aren't you upset about your sister's condition? No, Callie Torres thought differently than normal people. She could tell why Arizona liked Callie.

"I don't think she wants to, but when she speaks to me, I see the truth in her eyes. She doesn't blame me for wanting to escape, but I know part of her hates that I left her alone. After our mother passed away, I became her motherly figure. I took care of her until I left for school. She was only eight at the time." Bree looked away solemnly. "Leaving her was the single most selfish thing I have ever done in my life."

"Don't beat yourself up over it. It was a difficult decision to make. No matter which choice you made, someone was going to hurt."

Bree nodded and contemplated Callie. "But you still think I made the wrong choice."

Callie was about to deny it, but Bree held up a hand to stop her. "It's okay. I do too."

They were silent for a couple minutes.

"You and Arizona seem to have gotten close."

Bree smiled. "Are you fishing for a certain answer?"

Callie smiled and shook her head. "I think it's great. It's not like you guys are sleeping together or anything." Noticing the slight look of guilt that momentarily slipped across Bree's features, she paled. "Oh my God, are you?"

Bree burst out laughing. "You are so gullible. No, we're not sleeping together. We just met."

Callie nodded, her fears instantly abated.

Again they lapsed into an unsteady silence. Neither wanted to broach the subject of Bree's home life or Callie's relationship trouble.

"She doesn't blame you."

Callie smiled. "Now who's lying?"

Bree returned the smile. "She really doesn't Callie. But she does believe that you're just confused and scared and you ran because you like to self-sabotage." Bree stood up from her chair and crossed to the kitchen door. "I think it's time to trade shifts."

"What if I am confused and scared and unsure?" Callie stood to follow her. "I wish I could choose between them. I feel so torn."

Bree's face fell into an unreadable expression. "You already know who you want to be with. You've made your choice. The only thing you're unsure about is not which one to choose, but rather how best to break the other's heart."

----------------------------------------------------------------

"I am still tired. It's days like these when I wish I could bring myself to drink coffee." Arizona rubbed her eyes and leaned against the counter.

Erica started a fresh batch of the beverage in question. "Why don't you?"

Arizona shrugged. "When I was a kid my mother was very big on keeping us away from caffeine. She was a fitness instructor and she'd always tell us how soda wasn't good for our bodies. I guess I just inherited her healthy habits. Even now I can't bring myself to drink soda, coffee, or anything of that sort. At least not very often. I don't even drink that much alcohol, though Calliope seems to be a big fan."

"Yeah, nothing can get between Cal and her tequila."

Arizona chuckled. "Tell me about it."

"So, are you and Bree…?" Erica left the question open.

Arizona looked taken aback and shook her head. "No, why would we…no."

Erica raised her hands in surrender.

"Why would you think that?"

"Oh, come on. You can't tell me you haven't noticed."

Arizona's eyebrow furrowed. "Noticed what?"

"She has a thing for you. I may be new to the gay scene, but even I can tell she adores you."

Arizona shook her head. "No, we're just friends."

Erica poured some of the hot coffee into a mug she pulled from the cupboard. "Maybe you should tell her that."

Arizona shook her head again. "She knows. We're just friends. I have a girlfriend!"

Erica froze with the mug halfway to her mouth. She set it back down on the counter and crossed her arms. "Yeah, that's right. You do."

Arizona sensed the immediate rise in tension. "She slept with you, didn't she? She came here to your doorstep, played the damsel in distress card, pretended she was single, told you she wasn't over you, and you two slept together." She was afraid to know the answer, but the question was all that had been on her mind for the last twenty four hours.

Erica frowned. "When she came here, she wanted nothing to do with me. She made it clear that we were still friends, but our relationship was over. She said she had a girlfriend she loved and who loved her very much. She set up boundaries, and told me she was only here for Elizabeth's sake."

Arizona smiled, her heart giving a huge sigh of relief. But she felt the queasiness in her stomach return when Erica remained somber.

"But we reconnected. We spent a night together, in each other's arms, just like we used to. We didn't have to have sex to be together. We were just… intimate. She told me she loved me too, she loved me still." Erica turned to Arizona, who now had tears in her eyes. "I'm not telling you to hurt you; I just want you to know the truth. And I want you to know that I'm going to fight for her. I let her go once. It was probably the biggest mistake of my life and it's one I'm sure as hell not going to make again. I love her Arizona. You can convince yourself that I'm lying, that I'm not being sincere, after all, I did walk out on her, but your disbelief wouldn't change the truth. I love her, and I'm not ready to let that love go."

---------------------------------------------------------

Arizona watched Callie sleep from the doorway of Erica's bedroom. She would miss watching Callie sleep, the way her chest lifted slightly with each even breath, the way her nose twitched when she was having a really good dream, the way her body automatically gravitated towards hers even in sleep. She would miss it all.

She crossed the room and leaned down, placing a soft kiss on Callie's forehead. "I love you, my Calliope."

Callie smiled in her sleep, but didn't wake.

Arizona smiled, but there were tears in her eyes. For a moment, she considered changing her mind, but then determination set in. She walked back to the door, picked up her suitcase and closed the door behind her. "Goodbye Calliope."


	24. By The Way

DISCLAIMER:: not mine

A/N:: so this is a very short but very loaded chapter and probably my favorite to date. The next one should be longer. I just want to take a second to say thanks for all the reviews. I really appreciate getting feedback from my readers.

--------------------------------------------------------

_By the way_

_You left without saying goodbye to me_

_Now that you're gone away_

_All I can think about is you and me_

_You and me_

_--------------------------------------------------------_

Callie was deep into unconsciousness but even in sleep she felt the soft pressure on her forehead. She heard the words spoken, but didn't process their meaning. She just smiled at the familiar voice and fell right back into her deep sleep.

Later she became aware of someone crawling into bed with her. She felt her whole body relax even more and she melted into the arms that encircled her. There was nothing in her mind that objected to the person embracing her. It felt right and her mind was content to fall back into slumber.

--------------------------------------------------------

Callie looked around at the open room. People walked around her going every which direction, upstairs, downstairs, waiting for the elevator, talking to the receptionist at the information desk. The place was just as she had left it, leaving her slightly disappointed, as if she had expected it to have changed somehow.

She decided against the elevator, opting instead to take the stairs. People didn't look at her, didn't even seem to notice her as she jogged up the staircase she'd ascended many times over the past three years.

Her first stop was a small room on the third floor. She found it empty. Normally, a blonde sat on the bed, knitting, talking, smiling. But the bed was untouched, just as was everything else in the room. Callie knew she should be surprised, but somehow she had already known she wouldn't find anything here.

Next she went to the fourth floor, to an office. No one was in this room either, but here there was evidence of life. Charts and papers were stacked in an organized fashion on one side of the desk. The other side had a computer, the screen still bright, as if it had just been used moments before.

Callie looked both ways down the hall. She saw a flash of blonde hair just as it disappeared into the elevator. She ran down the hall, trying to catch the elevator before the doors closed. She got there just as they slid shut. She hit the call button, but the elevator was already gone.

She hit the stairs again, hoping to intercept the blonde on the ground floor as she exited the elevator. She pushed past people, barreling downward. She never noticed that the people around her were decreasing in number with each new floor she hit. When she finally reached the ground floor, the lobby was empty. She got to the elevator doors just as they slid open, but the elevator was empty.

"Shit!" Callie stamped her foot. She considered going back up to search, but then decided it was futile.

She fell into one of the chairs by the huge front window of the hospital and looked out at Seattle with a sigh.

"You always knew this is where it was going to end."

Callie looked over, not surprised to see Arizona sitting next to her. She thought silently for a moment and then nodded.

"Seattle is my home. Even when I said I was going to San Francisco, I knew I'd come back here. I don't know how I'd ever live anywhere else."

They both sat, just staring out the window, watching the first traces of autumn settling down in everywhere.

"When I wake up from this, you're going to be gone, aren't you?" Callie didn't look at Arizona as she spoke, but rather just kept watching the familiar landscape.

Arizona nodded solemnly. "Yes."

Callie nodded. She'd already known this; she'd just needed that confirmation for it to truly sink in.

"You promised me we'd get the chance to talk."

"We're talking now."

Callie glanced at her. "This was not what I meant."

Arizona sighed. "I know, but it's the best I can do."

"You could have stayed."

Arizona smiled sadly. "I would have if I thought I had a chance."

Again they fell into strangled silence. It had become a common occurrence between them recently.

"I really do love you."

Arizona nodded. "I know." She put a hand on Callie's shoulder as she stood. "But you love her more." She squeezed Callie's shoulder once and then started to walk away.

Callie jumped up and grabbed the fleeing Arizona's arm, spinning her around to face her. "You don't know that."

Arizona put a hand to Callie's cheek and then pulled her in for a hug. Callie clung to the small blonde as if it were the last time she would ever touch her. It probably was.

Finally, Arizona pulled back. "She's waiting for you."

Callie, who had had her back to the main entrance, turned. About a fifty yards outside the doors stood Erica. Callie smiled and ran. But as she opened the door, she paused, halfway in, halfway out. She looked forward to Erica, who was smiling encouragingly at her, and then back to Arizona, who had an air of calm acceptance. Several times her head swiveled between the two blondes, her mind warring with which to run to. She knew that the second she chose a direction, the other would disappear. Erica had been right; she couldn't have both.

Finally she squared her shoulders and moved.

------------------------------------------------------

Callie shot up straight in bed. "Arizona!"

Erica sat up beside her, jerked awake by her sudden movements. "Cal, she's…"

"On her way back to Seattle, I know." Callie threw the covers off herself and slid out of bed. She searched the ground for her clothes, which she had absent-mindedly removed while stumbling into bed earlier that morning.

Erica got up too, stretching as she stood.

Callie glanced at her and then returned to her search. "You'll take care of Elizabeth while I'm gone, won't you?"

Erica stopped mid-stretch. "What?"

"I said…"

"I heard what you said, but what do you mean gone?"

Callie pulled on her shirt. "Well, I'm going after her obviously." She picked up her jeans and started to put them on.

Erica crossed the room and grabbed Callie's arm gently, halting her actions. "She left you without a word Cal."

"Yeah, well, so did you."

Erica pulled her hand back as if she'd been stung. "Oh."

Callie frowned. "Erica, I'm…"

Erica shook her head. "No, that's okay, I deserved it." Her tone betrayed the anguish and guilt she felt.

Callie pulled Erica into a soft hug and was pleased when she not only didn't push her away, but also hugged her back. "I'm sorry. This is something I have to do."

Erica pulled away just enough to look into Callie's eyes. "Why?"

Callie leaned forward, kissing Erica's cheek. "Because I finally realized where it is I belong."

She pulled away and headed for the door. This time Erica let her go.


	25. Hello Seattle

DISCLAIMER:: not mine. yada yada.

A/N:: i was shocked (pleasantly) at the reactions to the last chapter. everybody has weighed in on where their loyalties lie. so thanks for that. this is another short chapter, but alas i am a workaholic, have to be at my job, and time to write only comes during breaks and lunches which are few and far between. the final five chapters remain. will elizabeth confront her family? will arizona forgive callie? will they ever find true happiness? and where does erica fit in all this? more answers to come, so stay tuned!

and as a side note, to those of you who read and enjoyed my first chapter fic, queen of hearts, i have posted the first chapter for the revised sequel, matters of the heart. read and enjoy!

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_Hello Seattle_

_I am a mountaineer_

_In the hills and highlands_

_I fall asleep in hospital parking lots_

_Take me above your light_

_Carry me through the night_

_Hold me secure in flight_

_Sing me to sleep tonight_

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Callie, under normal circumstances, loved to fly. She loved sitting by the window and watching the world floating by below her. But as she took off on her flight back to Seattle, the apprehension in her gut told her it was going to be a long flight.

Arizona had several hours on her. She knew she shouldn't worry; it wasn't like Arizona was going to quit her job at Seattle Grace and leave the city. She had just gone home. But there was just an instinctive feeling of dread that lingered.

The two hour flight seemed to drag by and Callie's tension only eased up slightly when the pilot announced they were circling SeaTac and bringing her down.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

It took Erica almost an hour to gather the energy to go downstairs.

When she did, Bree met her in the foyer.

"Callie went after her."

Erica would never get used to the way Bree spoke with clear certainty, confirming facts that sometimes it seemed impossible that she could know. She nodded. "Yeah, she did."

"Well then we have to go after her."

Both women turned to Elizabeth. The girl stared back at them with a determined gaze from the doorway of the living room. She looked much better after having slept through the night and most of the day.

"No, we don't"

Elizabeth frowned. "Don't tell me you're giving up? C'mon Erica, don't let her slip away now."

Erica shook her head, feeling the energy draining from her again. "Arizona gave up. She walked out on Callie this morning after telling me she didn't want to fight for her. But when Callie woke up this morning, Arizona was the person she asked for, the person she wanted. I know when I've lost and I'm a big enough person to admit defeat when it's staring me in the face." Erica turned to go back to the kitchen.

Elizabeth shook her head. "Well, I'm going back, whether you two come or not."

Erica and Bree Whirled around in sync. "What?"

"You do realize Dad and Richie are still there?" Bree could count the number of times she'd broken her composure on one hand, but she looked noticeably stricken.

"You do realize you're still sick?" Erica had her sternest professional face on.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "You do realize I'm eighteen?" She glanced at Bree, deep sadness flooding into her eyes. "You said yourself, they'll keep searching until I turn up, one way or another. I made the best go of it I could. But it's time to, like Erica said, admit defeat."

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Callie stood, looking up at Seattle Grace. She was now among the ranks of those who had left this place, only to return. SGH had a strange draw to it. You may leave but you could never really forget it.

"I hope you don't expect to get your room back."

Callie looked over and smiled at Yang.

Yang had paused next to her. She didn't look at Callie, just stared straight ahead.

"I didn't."

"Good. Because I have a new roommate already lined up."

Christina walked forward without another word.

"Missed you too Christina." Callie smiled and followed Yang towards the front doors.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Elizabeth got off the plane in Seattle with Bree in tow. Bree had no reason to stay in San Francisco. Her responsibility was to Elizabeth. She would go wherever her sister led, even if it was into the lion's den.

And behind them came Erica Hahn.

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"Hello Mark."

Sloan turned around. "Torres, I knew you'd be back for more."

"Oh yeah Mark, I just can't get enough of you." Callie rolled her eyes and laughed dryly.

"What else would bring you back to Seattle?"

"Um, maybe my girlfriend?"

Mark smiled slyly. "Which one?"

Callie narrowed her eyes. "Funny. Very funny."

"I know I am."

Callie socked his arm.

He winced and grabbed his arm where she had hit him. "I forgot how hard you hit." He looked down the hallway both ways to make sure the coast was clear and then bent close to Callie to whisper. "So, tell me the truth, did you sleep with Hahn?"

Callie narrowed her eyes again and socked the other arm before turning on her heel and setting off to find Arizona.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

"I'm not going!" Erica shook her head and crossed her arms, sitting back on the bed and crossing her arms. "I will not go back to that place and face all the accusing stares and judgments. If Callie changes her mind about who she wants to be with, I'll be here, at the Archfield, waiting for her."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Fine. Have it your way. Are you coming Bree?"

Bree glanced at Erica, a slightly puzzled expression on her face. "It's funny."

Erica quirked an eyebrow. "What is?"

"I thought she was going to pick you."

"Aren't you ever wrong?" Erica asked dryly, still upset over the events that had brought her back here to Seattle.

"Not often."

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Senator Hanley's presence had been felt intensely at SGH. Everywhere he went, press followed. His stay was highly publicized and though he didn't spend all his time at the hospital he made it aware that he was not leaving the city until his daughter was returned to them. To avoid bad press the Chief had assigned the interns to make calls to every hospital in every state in rotating shifts.

Little progress had been made and the Senator was spending more time at the hospital, assisting, but generally just bitching.

"How come nobody around this damn place can get anything done?!"

Chief Richard Webber cleared his throat and tried hard to control his temper, a task that was getting more difficult each time he spoke to Senator Hanley. "We are doing the best we can to locate your daughter, Senator, but it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack."

"Maybe if you put more manpower on this…"

"I have given you all I can spare. This is a hospital and we still need doctors available to run it. With all due respect sir, your daughter was gone for a month with all factions of law enforcement on her tail and they found no trace of her. We found out who she was…"

"And then you let her escape!"

"An unfortunate circumstance, but we are doing all we can to try and fix it."

"Excuse me miss, you can't go in there. The Chief is in a meeting…"

The door opened and both men turned to see Bree standing in the doorway.

"Bree! What is the meaning of this?"

A small, frail girl stepped around from behind Bree. "Hello Father."


	26. Losing Grip

DISCLAIMER:: not mine. belongs to shonda and abc studios

A/N:: okay, so finally a longer chapter. all of those who wished for elizabeth to confront her father... well she's not going to. at least not directly. but somebody is. elizabeth's story has been leading up to this culmination. this chapter is another one of my favorites and probably would have been a great place to leave this story, but i'm not finished, not quite yet at least. i still got four more chapters coming to wrap this fic up. to answer your question evelyn burnheart, jason is on the backburner but far from forgotten.

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_Why should I care?_

_You weren't there when I was scared_

_I was so alone_

_You, you need to listen_

_I'm starting to trip_

_I'm losing my grip_

_And I'm in this thing alone_

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Arizona flitted around her office. She had barely seen or spoken to anyone since she returned. She had run into Mark Sloan and his girlfriend in the hall on her way to the Chief's office. She hadn't answered the questions in their eyes. She knew what they were asking. _Where's Callie? _She didn't quite feel ready to tell them Callie had stayed in San Francisco with Dr. Hahn, that Callie had picked Dr. Hahn. Well, in all fairness Callie hadn't picked Dr. Hahn… yet. But Arizona had known she was going to and she couldn't be there to witness the guilt in Callie's eyes as she told her to go back to Seattle without her. She couldn't watch Callie crumble internally as she broke her heart.

Her biggest regret had been leaving without even saying goodbye to Bree. She had stopped in the living room and found Bree on the floor in front of the couch, asleep under a blanket. Arizona had smiled at how humble she looked down there. Bree wore designer suits and, like most politicians, considered her appearance in all aspects of the decisions she made. But this trip had shown the human side of Bree and Arizona cared for her all the more because of it. But she hadn't woken her to say goodbye or thank you because she knew, like Callie, Bree had the power to convince her to stay. And she knew she couldn't stay.

It had been several hours since she left San Francisco, but the Chief had told her she wouldn't return to work until the following day. Still, she couldn't bring herself to go home. Her apartment still contained traces of Callie. Her heart did too. At least if she was at work, she could try to forget what had happened. Maybe she could sneak down to the pit and lend a hand without anybody noticing, or caring, about her presence. They wouldn't care that she wasn't supposed to be on duty; they'd just be grateful for the extra hands.

Yes, that's what she would do. She headed straight for the door and stopped dead.

Callie was standing there with one hand raised to knock on the open door. She stood there with a cautious look on her face. Obviously she was waiting for Arizona to speak first. But Arizona couldn't move, couldn't breathe. She now had to revaluate all she been thinking about over the last couple days. Ever since she had found Callie at Erica Hahn's house she had felt this sinking in her stomach that told her she was losing Callie. This morning she had come to the conclusion that she already had. But now Callie was here. She was _here_. She could have stayed in San Francisco with Erica. But she had come back.

Arizona smiled, and the burning of a fresh wave of tears caused her to scrunch up her eyes. She fanned herself. Callie smiled in response and that caused Arizona to grin even wider. She raced forward until she slammed into Callie and threw her arms around the brunette's neck. She had won. Callie had come back.

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Bulbs flashed in front of the podium as reporters got in the pre-PC shots of all the advisors whispering to each other. The press conference wouldn't start for another ten minutes but that didn't stop the reporters and photographers from warming up their equipment, whether it be a pen or a camera. They were reviewing their questions and checking their batteries.

The podium had been set up in a huge conference room in the hospital. In fact, it was the same one where Mark had leaned across the seat and answered "last I heard you were at hand holding, foot rubs, and lots of late night cab sessions" when Erica had asked what the Chief's new rules were. The Chief had objected to having the press enter the hospital at all, but the Senator had offered a generous donation for the inconvenience and the board's hands were tied, which meant so were Richard Webber's. But he had insisted they keep it controlled.

Outside of the room, Elizabeth paced. Her father had been the picture of perfection since she had met with him in the Chief's office. He had been playing good dad. Years ago, his concern would have warmed her to no end. She had often sought daddy's approval growing up. But now she knew the charade. She knew that this was just his way of apologizing for the violence he ignored. She had only seen Richie once when her father had brought him to the hospital to see her. Richard Hanley Sr. had insisted she stay in the confines of a hospital room while her heart was in such poor condition. She had objected, but of course, that meant nothing.

Bree had been her only saving grace. She stayed with her, never leaving, except for when she left to shower and get ready for the big press conference. Elizabeth was used to parading in front of the cameras, playing the happy daughter for her father's sake. Bree was even more accustomed than she was. They knew what their father expected of them and they knew this time was no exception. Her father's advisor had devised the perfect story for her disappearance. It was a story of kidnapping and brave escape. Her injuries, of course, were results of her capture. It was perfect and believable. It would paint herself and her father in a great light. It would possibly even give her father enough support that he could finally take the white house like he'd always dreamed.

"Miss Hanley, it's time."

Elizabeth looked up and smiled that fake smile at Laura, one of her father's security detail. She nodded and followed Laura out into the hall where she met with Bree and Richie. They were led to the door's of the conference room where their father was waiting with his other security guard, Robert.

Her father smiled proudly at her. "You ready Bee?" Chloe Bee. That's what her mom had always called her. She felt a flash of anger at his violation of her mother's memory, but still smiled and nodded. She was ready as she ever would be.

He pushed open the door and strode out to the podium. Flashes lit up the room. Elizabeth waited the appropriate amount of time before she followed with her sister and brother. As soon as she crossed the safety of the doorframe she was back in the world she'd wanted so desperately to escape. Flashes were going off, reporters were screaming her name. She was in the public eye again with the reason for her pain at her shoulder. His hand was heavy on her shoulder and his nails dug in. Her brother was already once again imposing his dominance over her. He was already claiming her existence once again.

Her father stepped up to the podium and raised his hand for silence. Eventually all the reporters calmed down enough that they could hear him clearly. The flashes still went off, getting her father and herself from every available angle.

"I called this press conference today to welcome back a member of my family, who was found late last night. Despite what has been a traumatizing month for her, she has come here to share her story."

Elizabeth had to focus all her concentration to keep from rolling her eyes. She knew if she did someone would catch it on camera. As her father continued to talk she scanned the crowd. In the sea of faces she picked out a couple she recognized. Arizona was there, next to Callie. She wanted to wave to them but she resisted the urge. She wondered if Bree saw them too. She risked a glance at her older sister but Bree's eyes were glued to their father. Almost too glued as if she were avoiding looking at anything else. Erica wasn't there, but she had promised Elizabeth she would watch it on the news.

"Without further delay, I will turn the floor over to my youngest daughter, Chloe, so that she may share her story with you."

Her father stepped aside and gestured to her to step up to the mics. She stepped up front row center and faced the crowd as she had been trained to do.

"My name is Chloe Elizabeth Hanley. On the night of June 4, 2009 I was kidnapped from my neighborhood in Washington DC. I was held captive, taken to various discreet locations by my captors to avoid detection. They were cruel and unkind to me, breaking my wrist and other horrific deeds that I can't share in detail with you tonight."

She went on to describe some of the places she'd been taken to, feeding them the story she wanted to hear. She had been given a written prompt that was set on the podium before her. It highlighted all the fine points of her capture, or her capture as they had fabricated it. She glanced over it as she was coming to the end of her speech. Near the bottom she saw one fact that they hadn't yet gone over with her, but she was supposed to recite. Someone had been captured and charged for her kidnapping. Jason. They were blaming Jason. She hadn't agreed to this. She hadn't agreed to make him the scapegoat. She was aware that she had stopped and confusion rippled through the press assembled before her. But she didn't care. She stared at Jason's name and thought of his green eyes filled with only concern for her, not for what might happen to him, as he saw her off. It now seemed like it had been years. She'd grown so much in the past week. She looked up and her eyes locked with Arizona's and then with Callie's. She couldn't do this to them. She had to be stronger. If she had learned anything during her time with the doctors, it was that you fight. You fight for freedom… you fight for those you love. And she loved Jason. She crumbled the paper and opened her mouth to speak.

"No!"

All eyes in the room turned to Bree, amazed at her outburst. "I'm tired of lying! I'm tired of protecting you!" She stalked across the stage and, much like Arizona had a few days prior, slapped her father clean across the face. Flash bulbs went off like mad. That little action was all it took to start the reporters off.

"Miss Hanley, what do you mean?"

Bree turned towards the crowd.

Their father reached for her. "Bree don't!" He lowered his voice so the only ones who could hear him were Bree and Elizabeth. "You'll ruin me!"

Bree shrugged out of his grasp, shaking her head. "That's the idea." She stepped up to the podium. "Ladies and gentlemen of the press, I would like to apologize for the lies my father has been selling you throughout this ordeal. My sister was not kidnapped, she ran away. And I was the one who helped her escape."

A collective gasp ran through the crowd and the reporters having caught a whiff of the story, leaned forward hungrily.

"My sister has been a victim of child abuse for over a decade. We understood that her only chance of escape was to remove herself from the situation. I'm sorry that we have had to deceive the public for so long, but her safety would have been compromised had the truth been exposed earlier."

Elizabeth stared in awe at her sister who had taken command of the audience so swiftly. She really was a commanding presence. No reporter dared to interrupt her until she had finished and was ready to answer their questions. Their father stood off to the side, a mixture of pride at what his daughter had become and horror at what that was making her do, written all over his face. Richie had been inching towards the door. As Elizabeth caught sight of him she felt the anger sear through her body. He was not going to get away with this. Their father's ignorance made him partly to blame, but she could never forget what her brother had done to her. She would never forget the fear he hand instilled in her every single day. Bree had been right; she would never be free of what he had done to her. But now she knew she would be stronger because she never would forget. She would never let someone do this to her ever again. She would never let someone take her freedom again.

"You don't get to leave." She said it under her breath, but the room still quieted.

Richie turned to Elizabeth and puffed up to his full height. Even when he could see it all slipping away he was still trying to dominate her. She stepped up to him. "Never again." She looked down at her broken arm, her slapping arm. When she looked back up at him, he was smiling, having seen what she saw. She shrugged. "Oh well." She swung her good arm and her fist connected with the side of his face, sending him straight to the floor. "I still got a mean right hook." She shook her head disgustedly at the boy on the floor. "That, was for taking away a piece of me every day of my life. That, was me taking it back."

She turned her back on him, and she knew it would be forever.


	27. It Stops Today

DISCLAIMER:: i own nothing. belongs to shonda and abc studios.

A/N:: very short chapter but long work hours combined with three hours sleep a night (if i'm lucky) make B a dull writer. this chapter is mostly filler. but i promise a longer one's coming up next, the last before the two chapter finale, and it's going to have a surprising (or at least i hope) moment at the end. so stay tuned! and as always, reviews are much appreciated.

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_But I can't keep on running_

_No I just can't keep on running away from here_

_I know that the only way to be _

_Is to fight my fear_

_I'm not going to make it_

_'Til I turn around and face it alone_

_I know_

_I can't just keep running_

_No I just can't keep on running away_

_So it stops today_

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Callie and Arizona hadn't had much time to talk since Callie's return to Seattle. Arizona had been paged to one emergency surgery after the next. Her first break had been the press conference. They had agreed to go together. Callie had been amazed to see that Elizabeth and Bree had followed her to Seattle and was just slightly rebuffed that Erica apparently hadn't joined them. It hurt her to think that Erica was hurt enough to give up on her. But she _had_ run straight back to Arizona. She was still at war with herself over whether she had made the right decision, chosen the right person.

The press conference had been a blur of activity. Once Bree slapped her father all hell broke loose. Reporters strained to get closer to the podium, to make sure they didn't miss one word, one second of action. When Elizabeth punched her brother Callie jumped up, calling out encouragingly, though she couldn't be heard over the myriad of questions being thrown around. Elizabeth did not explain her actions, but left Bree to. She exited the room. Callie grabbed Arizona's hand, trying to pull her in the direction of the door so they could catch up with the teenager, but Arizona indicated the podium, where Bree was still addressing the crowd. Callie nodded and let go of her hand, departing the crowded room.

She caught up with Elizabeth back in her hospital room.

"Not exactly the best place to hide, is it?" Callie leaned in the doorway.

Elizabeth smiled and looked around. "No, but I really have no place else to go."

Callie nodded, the truth of the statement sinking in. Elizabeth couldn't return home, not after that public display. It would trash her credit with the press to go back to the place where she'd been abused all her life. "So, what now?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "I hadn't really thought that far ahead. I think I might take advantage of that birthday present you gave me."

"Will you go back to D.C.?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "There's nothing for me there. Maybe, if things don't pan out, I'll stay here, if you and Arizona wouldn't mind me hanging around."

Callie pretended to think it over. "Well, maybe I could make an exception just this once."

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"You did great up there!" Arizona saddled up to Bree once the minefield of reporters had somewhat dissipated.

Bree smiled. "You think so?"

Arizona rolled her eyes. "Of course you did. They were hooked on your every word. One moment your father was this savior and next you exposed him and your brother for who they really were."

Bree shrugged. "I'm tired of lying. There are so many things we don't say when we should. By keeping these secrets for my brother and my father I was just putting fuel on the fire. I was saying what was happening to Chloe was okay. By turning a blind eye I became part of the problem. I couldn't live like that anymore."

Arizona offered up a smile which Bree quickly returned.

"Arizona I…"

"Miss Hanley! Miss Hanley!" Reporters swarmed the two women and Arizona was forced to the back of the crowd. Bree met her eyes apologetically, but Arizona just smiled and waved it off. As she walked away, she couldn't help wondering what Bree had wanted to say.

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"Did Erica say something to piss you off?"

Callie snapped out of her thoughts and looked questioningly at Elizabeth. "What?"

"Well you just kind of raced out of there without any explanation. I know how you feel about Arizona, but is that the only reason you left?"

Callie didn't know how to explain what she was feeling. She had come back here to find Arizona, mostly because she couldn't let another person she loved walk out on her. She was tired of the same old M.O. Were all lesbians the same? Were they programmed with the leaving without a word gene?

"Knock knock." Arizona smiled at them both from the doorway.

Callie looked up and smiled. "Hey."

"I just came to check on Chloe here and see if you wanted to grab a bite. I got a little time before my next surgery. Maybe we could finally talk?" Arizona looked happy and hopeful. The sight warmed Callie's heart.

Neither woman noticed Elizabeth bristle at the sound of her name. She detested Chloe. Chloe was her past. She was Elizabeth now. Chloe was a scared little girl who hid behind locked doors and prayed her brother wasn't persistent enough to break the lock. Chloe was the quiet straight A student who wore long sleeves, even in the summer, to hide all her bruises. Chloe was weak. Chloe was pathetic. Elizabeth was strong and brave and everything Chloe wasn't.

Arizona's pager beeped and she looked down at it. "I gotta take this, but I'll meet you in the cafeteria in ten okay?"

Callie nodded.

Once Arizona had departed, Callie stood and walked to the door. She glanced back at Elizabeth. "You gonna be okay on your own for a while?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes but smiled. "Yes, mom."

Callie nodded and stepped out of the room.

"Oh Callie?"

The ortho resident popped her head back into the room. "Yeah?"

"Erica's at the Archfield, Room 202."

Callie stared at her blankly for a few moments.

Elizabeth shrugged nonchalantly. "Just in case you wanted to see her."


	28. Second Chance

DISCLAIMER:: not mine. still belongs to shonda and abc studios

A/N:: last chapter before the two chapter finale. focus is mostly on bree and elizabeth and where they go from here. enjoy! reviews always appreciated.

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_Tell my mother, tell my father_

_I've done the best I can_

_To make them realize_

_This is my life_

_I hope they understand_

_I'm not angry_

_I'm just sayin'_

_Sometimes goodbye's a second chance_

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Bree Hanley had anticipated the press overload from the conference the previous day. Every reporter wanted the scoop. She was getting calls from talk shows dying to get the first interview of the true story of her home life. She had never been fond of the spotlight, but she had been trained well by her father of how to deal with it. Her father. He had retreated into the solitary confinement of his hotel room, too embarrassed to go out publicly just yet.

Calls were flooding in from everywhere for her and Chloe… or rather Elizabeth now. Chloe had told her the night before about her plans to legally change her name to their mother's. Chloe Hanley was no more. In her place stood Elizabeth James. Everyone wanted to interview Elizabeth about her life and how she had been able to keep it under wraps. Everyone wanted dirt on their father to further trash his career. Bree was not dead set on bringing down her father. She truly believed he thought he was caught between a rock and a hard place. She couldn't imagine how hard it would be to choose between your children, but what he had done had still been wrong. You can't just ignore a problem and expect it to magically go away. It was his duty as a father to protect Elizabeth. That should have been his priority and if he couldn't do it he should have found an adequate replacement.

Richie was in police custody pending formal charges. The evidence of his abuse had been documented by Elizabeth throughout the years. Ever since she was twelve she had written down every encounter, taken pictures of every wound he had ever caused. She had never planned to take them public, Bree knew, but Bree did. Bree was tired of protecting the men in her family, especially when they no longer deserved it. She planned to make a huge media splash, make this the biggest scandal of the year. She wanted everyone to know how much her sister had hurt.

And when it was all done, she wanted to disappear. She wanted to stop being the Senator's daughter. She wanted to settle down, maybe get married once she found somebody to love, at least one who would return her affections. She wanted to get away from politics. She had never wanted to be this person that her father had groomed her to be. She had never had any desire to go into politics. Her father had trained her to become him. She would never be him. She had never wanted this. No she had wanted…

As the realization hit her, she grabbed her coat and hurried from her hotel room, scaring Elizabeth who laid on the couch in the other room of their suite.

"Where are you going?"

Bree had a huge smile on her face. "I have to go tell somebody thank you."

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Erica had seen the live footage of the press conference and was floored by it. She, like she was sure many other home viewers, found it hard to focus on what was going on. Everything happened so fast. Bree storming across the stage and slapping her father. Elizabeth decking her brother as he tried to escape. Elizabeth leaving the scene with a huge smile on her face. Bree trying to do damage control, also with a huge smile on her face. Erica felt a swell of pride for her little girl. Over the past week she had come to feel as if Elizabeth was like a daughter to her and though she would never admit it she had thrown her fist in the air with a "you go girl" sentiment.

When the camera had swept the lively crowd of reporters and doctors that had snuck into the event, Erica had caught a glimpse of Callie, there next to Arizona. Her stomach had sank and all good feelings had left her. She didn't want to believe that Callie was gone, she couldn't believe that. And yet she knew it had to be true. Callie didn't look like she was there to break up with Arizona.

She had continued to sulk until the evening news had come on and they had replayed the press conference. As she watched it the realization hit her that Elizabeth was fighting for her freedom. She was fighting for what she wanted. And Erica remembered why she had come here, everything over the past week that had led up to her return to Seattle. Callie. Callie had come back to San Francisco. Erica knew it could easily be explained away that Callie had just come for Elizabeth's sake, but Erica didn't believe it. Callie Torres hadn't fooled her. She had returned to Erica. Even if it was only a small part of her, somewhere in there, Callie Torres was still in love with Erica Hahn. That hit her like a breath of fresh air and she knew she too still had a fight to win. Before Arizona had left San Francisco, Erica had said she was going to fight. And she wasn't ready to give that fight up.

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A knock came to the door of the suite and Elizabeth looked up, rolling her eyes. She set down her book and stood, crossing the room to the door. "I told you not to forget that key card." She opened the door expecting to see Bree, but instead came face to face with Richard Hanley. "Father."

"Can I come in?"

Elizabeth stood on her tiptoes to look over his shoulder. "Where's your entourage of paparazzi?"

"I left them in the lobby." His attempt at humor fell short and Elizabeth started to close the door.

"Please, Chloe…"

"It's Elizabeth."

Her father seemed to pale at the sound of his wife's name but recovered quickly. "Can I come in please? I need to talk to you."

Elizabeth thought for a moment and then stepped to the side to allow him in. "You have five minutes."

Her father stepped inside.

She closed the door and walked back to the couch, plopping down into her vacated spot and picking up her book.

Her father shifted awkwardly. "I heard you're planning on moving out once you get home."

Elizabeth laughed dryly. "That implies that I'm going home. No, I already called Lola and told her to box up my stuff. I'll call and tell her where to mail it once I get settled. I have no desire to set foot in that house ever again."

"Where will you go?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "I haven't quite decided yet. Maybe back to San Francisco. Maybe stay here. I've grown rather fond of Seattle."

Her father cringed at her candid tone. He hadn't expected her to be so happy. It pained him because he realized he had never heard her sound this way since before his wife had passed. Which meant she hadn't been truly happy since then. "I, uh, I wanted to say that I, uh, I'm sorry."

Elizabeth looked up from her book. Her father had never looked so ragged and defeated before. He looked as if he'd lived a lifetime in one day. Behind the tired defeat she saw hints of sincerity. She nodded, her face emotionless. "I forgave you a long time ago Dad."

"You don't sound as if you have."

Elizabeth shrugged. "You don't have to believe me if you don't want to. I'm tired Dad. I don't want to fight anymore. I just want to move on with my life."

Richard nodded as if this was what he had come to confirm. "You sure you won't consider coming home? Richie's not welcome in my house anymore."

Elizabeth shook her head. "No Dad. Thanks for the offer, but I'm going to be just fine."

He nodded again and turned to go. He paused with his hand on the door. "Your mom would have been proud of you, you know."

Elizabeth smiled. "You really think so?"

He nodded without turning around. "You mother was a proud woman." He opened the door. "She would have told you to deck him twice."

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Bree had never been the type to rush things. She knew patience was key. She was normally a very patient person, no matter what emotion she happened to be feeling at any particular moment. She could keep her emotions at bay. She was trained to do just that. She didn't lose her composure often. It was a vulnerability she couldn't afford.

And yet she couldn't hold back the excitement that was bubbling inside her, seeping from her pores and just infecting everything around her. She bounced up and down in the backseat of the cab, anxious to get to the hospital. She had to see Arizona. She had something to tell her.

When the cab pulled up to the main entrance to leave her off she tossed a couple bills at him with a quick "thanks" and "keep the change" not really caring that she had probably given him a very generous tip. She raced for the doors. She had no idea if Arizona was even at the hospital today, but she had to try.

She ran up the stairs, too impatient to deal with elevators. She stopped when she got to the floor that housed pediatrics. She didn't know where to find Arizona but she figured her office was the best place to start. Arizona didn't usually linger there, preferring to be doing something all the time, but she hoped she'd get lucky and catch her doing paperwork or something.

But she never made it that far. As she rounded the corner she saw Arizona down the hall talking intently with a nurse. The nurse nodded seriously and ran off, following whatever orders Arizona had just given her.

Bree, noticing that she had stopped for just a moment to take in the view, smiled. "Arizona!" She raced forward down the hall, closing the distance between them in mere seconds.

Arizona was caught off guard. She hadn't expected to see much of Bree anymore, figuring she would return to her life on the east coast. She had expected a bittersweet goodbye before she left Seattle for good, but she hadn't thought that would be for another few days. But Bree didn't look like she had come to say goodbye. In fact, Arizona had never seen Bree so… happy. There was a brightness in Bree's eyes that Arizona had never seen before, but she found herself mesmerized by it as the woman came to a halt in front of her.

"Bree, what…" But Arizona didn't get to finish her sentence because Bree's lips were instantly against hers.

Arizona barely had time to process that she was being kissed before Bree pulled away, a huge smile on her face, breathing hard from all the running she'd been doing, her chest heaving from the excitement.

"A photographer." Bree beamed proudly.

Arizona's mind was whirling from the kiss she'd just received, however brief it may have been. Where had that come from? It took her a moment to actually process that Bree was saying something and another moment to process what she had said.

"Wait… what?" Arizona tilted her head confused.

Bree just smiled wider. "You asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. The answer is a photographer. I remembered what I used to dream. You helped me remember."

Arizona didn't have time to respond before Bree pulled her into another head spinning kiss.


	29. Boston

DISCLAIMER:: not mine. still belongs to shonda and abc studios

A/N:: first half of the two chapter finale. enjoy!

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_She said I think I'll go to Boston_

_I think I'll start a new life_

_I think I'll start it over_

_Where no one knows my name_

_I'll get out of California_

_I'm tired of the weather_

_I think I'll get a lover_

_And fly 'em out to Spain_

_I think I'll go to Boston_

_I think that I'm just tired_

_I think I need a new town _

_To leave this all behind_

_I think I need a sunrise_

_I'm tired of the sunset_

_I hear it's nice in the summer_

_Some snow would be nice_

_Boston…_

_Where no one knows my name_

_---------------------------------------------------------_

Bree hadn't come home, or at least back to the suite, by the time Elizabeth woke the next morning. It wasn't like her sister to stay out like this without calling, but Elizabeth wasn't too worried. She was more disappointed that she would have to leave without saying goodbye.

The previous night, after her father had left, she had thought long and hard about what she wanted to do with her life now. She had options before her and she couldn't put off picking one forever. All her musings brought her to the same conclusion and she felt stupid she hadn't thought of it before. She knew what she had to do now.

She wrote a letter for Bree, stating how grateful she was for what Bree had done for her, how she'd call her when her flight landed, how sorry she was that she couldn't wait for Bree to get back so she could say this all in person.

She slung her bags over her shoulder and left the room, leaving her keycard on the bedside table.

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She was standing in front of Room 202 five minutes later. She knocked, wondering if Erica was still in the room. Maybe she had gone out. After a minute of waiting she considered just leaving her a note at the front desk. But just as the thought occurred to her, the door opened.

Erica looked weary, as if she had been up all night.

"Hey."

Erica smiled, despite her obvious tiredness. "Hey. Come on in."

Elizabeth walked past her and into the room. "I can't stay long. I just came by to say thanks." She turned to look at Erica as she shut the door. "For everything."

Erica smiled at her. "It was no problem. You're welcome at my house anytime."

Elizabeth nodded. There was no need to express anymore thanks; she knew Erica understood how grateful she was.

"You look tired."

Erica smiled weakly. "That's what happens when you get no sleep."

Elizabeth looked at her curiously, the question written clearly on her face.

Erica sighed. She moved past her and flopped down onto the edge of her bed. "I've been up all night contemplating how to deal with my situation. I know I want to fight for Callie but I have no idea how. How do you go to somebody who left you for somebody else and ask to have them back without seeming desperate?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "I can't tell you what to say, but I will tell you that you shouldn't waste one more second. Callie needs to know how you feel, right now. She needs to know that you can't live without her. She needs to know everything." Elizabeth put a hand on Erica's shoulder. "Tell her everything."

Erica looked up at her. She noticed her bags for the first time. Her brow furrowed. "You're leaving?"

Elizabeth looked down at her bags and nodded. "Yeah. I have a plane to catch. Will you tell Callie goodbye for me? I don't have enough time to go to the hospital."

Erica stood. "Let me drive you to the airport. I need to get out of this stuffy hotel room and you need someone there to see you off."

Elizabeth wanted to suggest that Erica go see Callie, but she wasn't the type to push her advice on other people, so instead she nodded.

Erica moved to the table by the window and reached for her purse and keys. "So where are you going?"

Elizabeth smiled. "Boston."

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An hour later they were standing in front of the entrance to the security gate at SeaTac. Elizabeth had never felt so many emotions at once. She was anxious and excited, happy and sad, scared and determined. She was a whirlwind of emotions.

"You'll call me when you land, let me know you got there okay?" Erica was giving her that gaze of matronly concern.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, but smiled and nodded. "I'll call, I promise." She looked over at the security gate and then beamed up at Erica. "Your little girl's growing up."

Now it was Erica's turn to roll her eyes, but she couldn't disguise the pride on her face.

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It was a long flight to Boston. Seven hours with one layover in Minneapolis. If Elizabeth had learned one thing from Bree, it was patience. So she sat back and enjoyed the flight to Minneapolis despite the emotions that were raging inside her. She had no idea what she was doing, but she knew it was the right move.

She called Erica when she landed in Minneapolis, but the cardio surgeon's phone was off. She left a message saying that she had made it halfway in one piece and relished in the fact that she had somebody somewhere who cared whether she was safe or not and where she was. She had missed this in her life, having a mother. She knew Erica wasn't her mother, but she was the closest thing she'd had since her early childhood. Hell, she was the closest thing she'd had to a parent in general.

She called once again when she was about to board for the second half of her flight that would take her to Boston. She felt her excitement and anxiousness grow. Again she got Erica's voicemail. She left another message, figuring Erica had finally come to her senses and gone to find Callie at the hospital.

There was a little bit of turbulence right before they landed, but the flight was smooth and surprisingly fast. Once Elizabeth disembarked the plane she ran through the airport to the main entrance. She was happy she hadn't had any luggage checked that she would need to wait on.

Once outside she filed into the line to wait for an available cab.

It took nearly twenty minutes of bouncing impatiently on her toes before it was her turn. She slid smoothly into the back of the cab.

"Where can I take you?"

"Cambridge please."

It was a pricey fare. She had no idea if she'd find Jason at school, but she figured that was the best place to try and find him. It was a start at least.

She tried her best to enjoy the ride, but she found it hard to focus on the things that would normally capture her attention such as the view from the Mcgrath Hwy Bridge of Science Park and, off to the right, North Point. She breathed a sigh of relief when they pulled onto Cambridge Street. It was just a straight shot down now.

"Are you a freshman this year?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "No, I have a friend here."

When they pulled onto the main drive of the university, she gasped. She had never seen a school, even a university, this big.

The cabbie smiled at her wonder. "Welcome to Harvard."


	30. After All

DISCLAIMER:: not mine. still belongs to shonda and abc studios

A/N:: so here it is, part two of the two chapter finale and the conclusion of this crazy story. my favorite chapter by far. also my favorite song by far. thanks to all for reading, i appreciate the support. this was supposed to be a ten chapter story about callie leaving arizona to find erica and then realizing she loved arizona more. obviously it grew to so much more than that and that would not have happened without the support from my readers, so thank you so much.

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_Every memory repeats_

_Every step I take retreats_

_Every journey always brings me back to you_

_After all the stops and starts_

_We keep coming back to these two hearts_

_Two angels who've been rescued from the fall_

_After all that we've been through_

_It all comes down to me and you_

_I guess it's meant to be_

_Forever you and me_

_After all_

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"What do we got?" Arizona fell into step beside the incoming gurney.

"16 year old female. Biking accident. She and her boyfriend were hit by a car. Driver lost control of the wheel. There's severe internal bleeding and her right leg is shattered. Her right arm also appears to be broken in several places. Once the driver hit her bike it sent her straight off the road and into a tree. She impacted pretty hard. She's stable, but barely."

Arizona soaked in every detail of information, processing it like her brain was a computer, deciding the best course of treatment to save this girl's life. "And the boyfriend?"

The EMT gestured over his shoulder and Arizona followed with her eyes. The techs from the other on the scene ambulance were in the ambulance bay with a gurney covered with a sheet. "They lost him in transit."

"And the driver."

The EMT looked instantly sullen. "DOA."

Arizona nodded, her mind instantly leaving the one she couldn't save for the one she could. She learned very early on not to dwell on the ones already lost; it would only drive you mad.

Arizona scanned for the nearest available nurse. "We're taking her to OR3. Page Dr. Torres."

The nurse raised an eyebrow. "Dr. Torres doesn't work here anymore Dr. Robbins."

Arizona shook her head. She forgot that Callie was no longer an employee here. "She's somewhere in this hospital, just find her!"

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Callie woke with a start. She looked around at the dingy white walls of the third floor on call room she had spent the night, and most of the morning, in. She had been helping Bree and Elizabeth manage all the incoming press calls for the past four days since the press conference. Yesterday, Arizona had called her and asked if she wanted to take a break and come finally have that talk they had been denied since she returned to Seattle. Every time they got even close to talking, Arizona would be dutifully paged away to one emergency or another. Callie was just about one more page away from believing this was some form of divine intervention. Of course, once she walked in to Seattle Grace, Arizona had apologized profusely and asked her to stay. She had said she would find the time to get around to their talk. And yet here Callie was, almost twenty four hours later, and she had seen only the smallest glimpses of the peds surgeon.

The longest she had seen her was the previous evening. Arizona had come in with this huge smile on her face, one of those ones that you can't get rid of no matter how hard you try. She had seemed surprised to see Callie there as if she had forgotten her in the hour since they had last seen each other. When Callie had asked her what the smile was for, Arizona had just shrugged and said it was nothing Callie needed to worry about.

Callie had been contemplating going to see Erica, but had finally decided that wasn't smart until she had talked with Arizona. Still, her mind couldn't help wandering to the blonde she had left in San Francisco.

She pulled out her phone and dialed the number of the Archfield, asking for Bree and Elizabeth's room when the front desk clerk picked up. The phone rang as the clerk transferred her. And rang. And rang. She thought it was odd that neither Bree nor Elizabeth had picked up, but she shrugged it off, figuring they might have gone out for lunch, or could possibly still be sleeping, though it was close to one in the afternoon.

There was a knock on the door, a frantic tight rapping. A nurse popped her head in, seeming relieved that Callie was already awake.

"Excuse me Dr. Torres. Dr. Robbins asked me to page you to OR3. We have a collision victim with several broken bones. She'd like your assistance."

Callie stood. She wasn't even in scrubs. She didn't even work here. She looked down at her street clothes and back up at the nurse, her question obvious.

The nurse frowned, looking overwhelmed. "I'm sorry Dr. Torres but she insisted I come get you."

Callie nodded. "Thank you. I'll figure something out. I'll be down in a minute."

The nurse nodded, again seeming relieved at her luck. She smiled and left Callie alone once again.

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Ten minutes later the OR door opened and Callie shuffled in. Arizona looked up and you could see the relief in her eyes and the smile hidden behind her mask.

Callie smiled back in response. Then she was all business. "What have we got here?"

"Female accident victim. Her right leg is a mess. I'm no orthopedic savant, but I think it may be too far gone to repair. I think she might lose it. The right arm's broken too."

Callie rubbed her gloved hands together and nodded. She'd forgotten how much she'd missed this.

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Elizabeth curled up on a chair in one of the common rooms in a dormitory. It was late night. She had been searching for Jason all day, but to no avail. He hadn't been in the library and everyone she asked who had actually known him had pointed her in this direction and in that direction. It felt like a wild goose chase. The Harvard campus was immense to say the very least, and she had grown tired going back and forth across it several times. She had nowhere to go so she had followed a group of girls into one of the dormitory halls on campus and had sat in a corner of the room, reading a book someone had left on an end table. Once everyone had gone off to bed and she was left alone, she put the book down and closed her eyes. If she was lucky she might be able to get a few hours sleep.

She woke when she felt someone's presence beside her. She opened one eye and looked up into the face a pretty blonde girl. The girl was looking at her expectantly with her hand outstretched. She sat up and looked at her hand in confusion.

The girl rolled her eyes, seeming to realize she didn't understand. "Can I have my book back?"

Elizabeth looked down at the book tucked between her thigh and the arm of the chair. "Oh." She picked it up and placed it in the girl's hand. "Sorry."

Instead of leaving, the girl sat in the chair next to her. "You a freshman?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

The girl stared at her as if the answer were obvious. "Maybe because no one has ever seen you here before? I sure haven't."

Elizabeth smiled a little to herself. She was glad that no one had seemed to notice her from all the news coverage that had been run of the press conference. That was a blessing. She realized the girl was waiting for her to say something. "Um, I'm here visiting a friend. He's a student here."

The girl looked down to Elizabeth's feet where her duffel and backpack were sitting on the floor. Elizabeth followed her gaze. "Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find him. I'm here to surprise him and I have no idea where to look."

The girl nodded seeming to believe her story. "Maybe I can help. What's your friend's name?"

"Jason. Jason Keaton."

The girl seemed unconvinced. "You… know Jason?"

Elizabeth brightened. "Yes. Do you know where I can find him?"

The girl looked at the clock on the wall across the common room. "Well he usually takes a jog around the stadium at six every morning. It's five thirty-six right now. If you hurry you might be able to catch him."

Elizabeth smiled at her gratefully and stood. She grabbed her bags and threw them over her shoulder, happy for a new lead. She felt a renewed energy. Just a small trek back across campus and she'd see Jason.

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Bree had no idea what she had been thinking. Well Arizona's mouth, that's what she'd been thinking. Bree wasn't a lesbian, or at least she didn't think she was. She wasn't just a newbie to the whole girl on girl scene, she was a newbie to it all. Of course she'd had a couple casual hook ups during college, but she hadn't actually had a relationship with anyone since her mother had passed.

Arizona hadn't seemed upset at the kiss, but she had walked away. It didn't break Bree's heart to see her depart; she knew Arizona wasn't more than a friend, that that's all she wanted to be. Friends. Bree could handle that. It was a moment of weakness when all the things she'd been feeling the past week had just bubbled to the surface.

She couldn't go home and let Elizabeth see her like this. She'd ask why she looked so frazzled. She couldn't lie to Elizabeth without getting caught and she really wasn't ready to explain her actions. She couldn't quite explain it to herself. So she had found herself at the last place she had ever expected to go.

Her father had given her the bed and taken the couch without complaint. She had immediately taken a shower and gone straight to bed. She wasn't quite ready to talk to him just yet. She didn't want to deal with anger, or quite possibly, fake apologies. She was too confused to bother with anything else.

She had fallen asleep, but only after analyzing the kiss from every possible angle and view.

And she could only come to one conclusion. Arizona meant more to her than she had originally surmised.

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Jason was woken by the first rays of dawn streaming through his window. He sat up and stretched, opening his blinds to the beginnings of morning. He slipped out of bed and threw on a shirt to match his sweats. He grabbed the five dollar bill off his dresser and opened the door, coffee the only thing on his mind, besides of course Elizabeth. Ever since he had left her, she had been there, at the back of his head.

He came face to face with a blonde. Carlee.

"Good morning Jason."

"Hey Carlee." Jason pushed out into the hall beside her and closed his door. He started off down the hall and she immediately ran to catch up with him. Carlee had lived one floor down from him ever since she had started school there two years prior. He had known right away that she had a crush on him, but he wasn't interested. Despite his rejection of her advances, she still found little ways to put herself next to him whenever she could. He didn't understand her interest in neuroscience, but once she had discovered that was his major, she had made it hers too. It was annoying, but Jason had gotten used to it.

"I was just going to get some morning coffee and wanted to see if you'd like to join me."

Jason turned his head away enough so that he could roll his eyes without her seeing. "You must have read my mind."

Carlee beamed, obviously pleased with herself.

Jason glanced at the clock as they passed the common room. 6:52am. Ugh, he was up early. He never woke up before eight, and that was when he had class. How had Carlee known he would be up this early? He tried to focus on her face and what she was rambling on about, but something caught his eye. He put a hand in front of Carlee to stop her and her one sided conversation immediately came to a halt. She followed his eyes and hers opened in a small horror at the item on the chair. Jason walked over and picked up the small black jacket. He recognized it instantly; it was engraved in his brain. Elizabeth had been wearing it the day he met her.

He turned to Carlee. "When you were coming to my room this morning, did you see a girl here?"

Carlee frowned. "Um, no."

If there was one thing Jason hated most about Carlee, it was her transparency. But today he was grateful for it. "What did you say to her Carlee?"

Carlee shrugged, but when she saw the anger in Jason's eyes, she conceded. "I told her you take 6am runs around the stadium.

Jason clutched the small jacket and set off at a dead run. Carlee called after him but he neither heard nor cared.

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Erica walked into Seattle Grace for the first time in a half year. It hadn't changed much as far as appearances were concerned. But still there was something different, almost comfortable about it now. She looked around, noticing Shepherd and Grey walking into the elevator with Mark and Grey's little sister, both couples hand in hand. She smiled a little to herself as she stood just inside the main entrance. Everybody seemed to have found their place; that was the difference she felt.

She strode forward and was immediately accosted by Richard Webber.

"Dr. Hahn?"

Erica smirked her infamous smirk. "Richard." She inclined her head slightly in greeting.

"What are you doing here?"

"Good to see you too Richard."

The Chief frowned. He was the type for pleasantries, especially when he had asked a question.

Erica sighed. "I'm looking for Dr. Torres."

Richard regarded her for a moment, his frown deepening. "So am I. I heard through the grapevine that she had returned to Seattle but I have yet to speak with her. And now I hear she scrubbed in on a surgery!" Richard took a breath to calm his temper. "She doesn't even work here. Doesn't she know the kind of lawsuit we'd be facing if something goes wrong in there?!"

Erica frowned, her brow furrowing in silent thought. Callie hadn't asked for her job back? Wouldn't that be the first thing she'd do? "Might I suggest we go see if there's any truth to the rumor?"

Richard nodded and led the way to the viewing gallery of OR3. It was packed with interns and residents as usual, watching the surgery being conducted below. Richard stepped right up to the glass, but Erica held back. She sat in an available seat, ignoring the stares of those of the audience who had been there long enough to remember her.

Callie was there below her, in the room, working diligently to repair, to save, a young girl's leg. Her eyes were deeply focused on the task at hand, a concentration Erica knew well from their days as nothing more than colleagues, days long past.

She also noted Arizona's presence. Nothing suggested a closeness between the two. They each worked on their respective areas of expertise and didn't even spare a glance at each other. Erica smiled to herself. Maybe she actually had a fighting chance.

But then Arizona moved, leaning across Callie and their eyes met for just a second and Erica couldn't watch anymore. It was way too reminisent of the moment Callie and she had shared over cement boys just a couple tense hours before their first.... she stood, put a hand on Richard's shoulder, and, with one last look towards the active operating room, turned and left.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Callie immediately jumped into her work with the fire she always felt when saving someone's life. The girl's leg was a disaster area, bones this way and that. For her, it was a surgical playground, but the pressure of the situation still weighed heavily on her.

She was making excellent progress until she felt them. The eyes, staring at her, boring into her, reading her every move. Somehow she knew it was Erica without having to look up. She wished there was a way she could check without being caught. She could ask the nearest nurse to look for her, but she didn't want to risk Arizona overhearing. So she waited, and waited. But when Arizona leaned across her path and their eyes met, she could hold back no longer. She knew Erica must have seen that subtle little move, and she had to see how she had reacted.

She looked up, but Erica was not there. However, a very angry-looking Chief was. She mentally cursed herself for imagining Erica's presence. She needed to get over her guilt and focus on her job.

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Bree woke up after an unsteady sleep. Next to the bed was a rolling cart adorned with covered trays.

"I didn't know what you like for breakfast. It's been a long time since the mornings we used to spend as a family."

Bree looked up to see her father leaning against the doorjamb.

Bree nodded. "It's been over twelve years."

"Bree, I…"

Bree held up a hand to silence her father.

He shook his head. "No, let me say this."

Bree wouldn't look at him but she didn't object, so he decided to continue.

"I know I haven't been the best father to you, or your sisters. I… it was hard losing your mother. Still, to this day, it's hard. But this isn't what she wanted, this life. She would have hated it." He sighed and fell into a chair set up in the corner of the room. "She was leaving me."

Bree looked up, completely startled. She had been very close with her mother, and she had never once heard mention of a divorce or even the possibility of one.

Her father looked sad and older than he'd been a few minutes ago. "She wanted to take Chloe and yourself and I would get Natalie and Richie, a fair split. It took us forever to come to an agreement on how to split four kids. She even offered to let me keep all the money, and not pay any child support, as long as I helped her secure a place for the three of you to live. She didn't want to be the family of a politician. Your mother always thought politics changed people, for the worse." He nodded. "She was right."

Bree looked down. "So, that night, that fight you two had right before we left to get ice cream… it was…"

Her father frowned. "It was the straw that broke the camel's back. She was leaving. She wanted to leave, money or not. And I… I told her… I said I'd die before I'd let her take you and Elizabeth."

Bree stared at her father, the tears he hadn't shed for the past twelve years were finally falling down his face. Bree got off the bed and fell into her father's arms. She had always thought of him as the villain, but he wasn't. He was just a broken man, and broken men do stupid things. There were many things she knew it would take time to forgive her father for, but today, she forgave him his humanity.

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"I don't know about you, but I am fried." Arizona rubbed the back of her arm across her forehead to wipe away some of the perspiration and joined Callie in scrubbing out.

"Arizona…" Callie knew this wasn't exactly the best place to have this conversation, but they had been dancing around what needed to be said for nearly a week.

Arizona looked up, a sadness in her blue eyes. "Calliope, I know you came back to say goodbye. Why do you think I've been putting this conversation off for so long? I wanted to prolong my time with you, see if we couldn't rekindle that spark we had before Elizabeth came barreling into our lives."

Callie was silent. She had expected to feel good about coming clean with the peds surgeon, but while she did feel relief that Arizona wasn't angry with her, she still felt the pain of a little chunk of her heart breaking, the part that would always belong to Arizona. "I never wanted to hurt you this way."

Arizona smiled. "You didn't. It hurts to lose you. I loved you, and I still do. But I've never been one to dwell on the ones already lost." Arizona's mind drifted to Bree and the kiss they had shared the previous night. "I think I've stumbled upon someone who might make me happy." She looked up at Callie with a smile that imparted her forgiveness. "I'm happy you found that in your life too Callie."

At Arizona's use of her nickname, Callie realized that was the blonde peds surgeon's way of letting her go, of releasing her.

She leaned forward and kissed Arizona softly. "I could be making the biggest mistake of my life."

Arizona thought of the way Erica looked at Callie, as if she were the most precious thing on earth. She shook her head. "You're not. She loves you more than I think I ever could."

Callie knew it wasn't an insult to the way Arizona felt about her, but rather a compliment to the way Erica did.

Arizona put a hand to her cheek, her voice barely above a whisper. "Now go. She's waiting."

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Elizabeth made it to the stadium three minutes before six thanks to her speedy memorization of the landscape and a little help from a dude in a golf cart. She came in at the top of the sprawling bleachers and looked out over the field. No one was in sight, but the girl had said Jason didn't run until six. She still had two minutes, so she started to walk along the top perimeter. She had no idea where he would come in but she was too anxious to stay still.

She had walked the top perimeter six times before she realized he wasn't coming. She walked halfway down and fell onto one of the seats, thinking for the first time since the idea had popped into her head that maybe this wasn't the right place to be. She knew it was after seven. If she was lucky she could go back to the airport and be back in Seattle by that evening, possibly sooner. Yes, that was what she would do.

She stood and turned ready to start back up the stairs. She had only gone two steps when she heard someone call out behind her.

"Don't tell me you give up that easy."

Elizabeth froze. She couldn't believe her ears. She was too terrified to turn around, afraid he wouldn't be there when she did. _Promise me you'll be there. Please be there._ She turned.

There, staring up at her from the field was Jason. He had huge smile on his face.

"I saw the press conference."

She dropped her bags and shrugged nonchalantly, all her effort going towards trying to keep the smile off her face. "And?" She started slowly down the steps.

"What made you change your mind? You were giving a pretty convincing speech, and then you just… stopped."

She had made it to the final railing before the seats ended and the field began. She climbed up on the railing and sat on top, leaving her feet to dangle off. If Jason stepped forward a couple feet, he would just reach her calves.

"They wanted to blame you."

He seemed to process that for a few seconds. "So… you destroyed your father's career and decked your brother on live television all because of me?"

Elizabeth finally let her smile beam through. "Maybe."

"Maybe, huh? Maybe?" Jason covered the distance between them in one swift stride and grabbed her calves, pulling down. She lurched forward off the railing and into empty air, landing right in his arms. He spun her around as he caught her to take force off the impact, and somewhere mid spin their lips met.

Elizabeth pulled back. "Definitely."

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Bree had left her father on a good note. They had agreed to keep in touch and she knew she would. She had seen a side of her father that morning that she hadn't known existed. It had humbled him.

She had gone back to her hotel room and found the letter from Elizabeth. It wasn't a surprise. She had known it was only a matter of time before Elizabeth would go after Jason. But the absence of her sister caused her to ponder what had happened with Arizona the previous night. She had kissed Arizona. She had felt this bursting need to kiss Arizona. But Arizona... Arizona... Arizona.... Bree realized she couldn't complete the thought. Ever since she had met the blonde, something had been different. Something inside had just clicked.

Knowing what she had to do, she headed for the hospital.

She found Arizona sitting calmly at her desk. She didn't look up when Bree came in and shut the door behind her.

"Callie left me."

Bree nodded. So her first prediction had been spot on. Callie had chose Erica Hahn. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not."

Bree looked at Arizona, surprised.

Arizona smiled and stood. "In the end, I let her go without a fight." She came around the desk and stood before Bree. "It hurts just a little less losing her now than it would have a few days ago."

Bree raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Arizona smiled and leaned in. "I think you've already figured that out." She traveled the last distance and their lips met.

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Erica was tired. She was confused about where to go from here. She knew she wasn't ready to let Callie go, but what other options did she have? She didn't know how much longer she could play this push and pull game. She had no clue what to do. But she knew she couldn't think clearly while here in Seattle Grace. She had to get out, and quick. As soon as she had decided this, she made a beeline for the exit.

"Dr. Hahn, a word?" Richard Webber caught up with her.

She stopped and turned. "I'm in a hurry."

Richard nodded, acknowledging the importance of her time. "I'll be brief. I'd like you to reconsider taking your position. We haven't filled it since you left and I truly believe this hospital has suffered since your departure. I talked with Dr. Torres about returning and she agreed, so I was hoping you might consider it as well."

Erica stared at him. "Callie's staying?"

The Chief nodded. "Pending a couple conditions, yes."

Erica turned. "I'll consider it." Her tone had an air of finality that even Richard Webber wouldn't consider challenging.

"That's all I'm asking." He turned and walked away and Erica continued straight out the front doors. Now she really felt the desperate pull to get away. Callie had obviously made her decision. Her choice to return to Seattle Grace was proof of her commitment to making things work with Arizona. That was all the evidence she needed. Why prolong the hope when it would only lead to heartbreak?

She almost made it to the parking lot before she turned around. She had said she was going to fight, god damn it, and that's what she would do!

She stopped dead when she came within twenty feet of the bench where she had searched for her keys frantically nearly seven months before. There, sat Callie. She was out of the scrubs and back in street clothes.

Callie stood when she saw her, wiping her palms down the sides of her jeans. She licked her lips and looked more scared than Erica had ever seen her. Erica didn't take that as a good sign.

"Hey." Erica knew she had to speak first or Callie was likely to bolt.

Callie looked up, the fear still in her eyes. "Hey."

"What are you doing out here?" She had to keep her talking.

"I was waiting for you actually." Callie thought back to her dream. "I kind of knew you'd be here." She ignored the questioning look that crossed Erica's face. If she didn't get this out now, she'd chicken out. "Erica, I…"

"Cal, I saw you in the operating room with Arizona. I know how you feel about her and it's…"

"No, Erica you don't know." Callie looked down and then away before she looked back at Erica. "These past couple weeks have been some of the hardest and best of my life. I was here and I thought I had everything I wanted. I was making a life with Arizona, and I was happy. We were happy. I thought I would forget you with time. I love Arizona. I really do. She has been there for me every step of the way. I would wake up next to her in the morning and think I could actually do that for years to come. I felt and still feel secure and confident that Arizona is everything I need."

Erica felt as if a bullet was shot through her heart. She felt the sickness rise in her stomach. She couldn't listen to this. She felt her throat close up. It was getting harder to breathe. She was silently suffocating. She felt the urge to scream, shake her head, cover her ears, do something, but she was frozen in place, doomed to listen to the speech that would bring about her downfall.

"But she's not you."

Erica felt her throat open and her lungs fill again. Her eyes shot instantly to Callie's.

"I came back to tell Arizona goodbye. I didn't want to leave her without any closure. I came back to tell her that I do love her, but that I am in love with you, that I belong with you."

Erica's breathing sputtered. "But you told Richard you'd return to work here."

Callie shook her head. "I said only if you'd agree to return too. I love Seattle Erica; it's been my home for a long time. But if you asked me to drop everything and run away with you to Paris tonight, I'd do it. Because you're my home now."

Erica felt her heart fill to max capacity; within a second it was swollen with the love she felt for Callie Torres. And she knew all she'd ever need in life was this feeling. It would get her through every tragedy they'd face, every hardship. It was more priceless than any sum of money, more valuable than any reputation. It was what it felt like to be completed.

She pulled Callie close and kissed her deeper than she ever had before. And Erica Hahn felt as if she'd come home.

THE END

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A/N:: so i knew i would either have to let down one side or the other or both. it would have been stupid of me to have callie choose neither erica nor arizona. it was going to be arizona all the way until erica had that conversation with arizona in her kitchen back in san francisco. that was the turning point that changed this story into its final form. i am a callica fan, though i love arizona and callie together as well. it came down to who i thought was better suited for callie in this particular situation. and while i do think arizona is probably the... healthier choice for callie in both the show and this story, it doesn't change the fact that i truly believe Erica understands her on a deeper and more personal level. i've been in quite the same situation. of course in my ending i chose my erica and was left again, so i guess that doesn't help my arguement here does it? shutting up now...


End file.
